Trust
by supernaturalbuffy
Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it’s done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again
1. Chapter 1

TRUST

Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it's done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke.

The highway stretched out in front of the Chevy Impala long and black. It was a deserted piece of land in Oklahoma late at night and no one was around. Dean tapped his fingers on the wheel in time to the music playing softly from the radio. He had turned it down so his little brother Sammy could get some sleep. Dean looked over at Sam asleep in the passenger seat. His breaths fogging up the window as he leaned against the glass in a deep sleep. Dean smiled slightly thankful that Sam was finally getting some sleep. Between all the hunts and research they had been on lately, Sam hadn't been getting much sleep. It didn't help matters that when he did get some sleep it was usually plagued by nightmares. Dean studied his brother's profile in the darkness for a moment before turning back to the road.

He stifled a yawn as he passed a road sign noting that the next town was a good sixty miles away. He hoped that this place had a motel. They were in a rural area and not many of the towns even registered a gas station let alone a motel. Dean sighed in frustration and moved slightly trying to adjust his sore muscles. The last hunt had been a nasty little poltergeist and Dean had before the job was over Dean and Sam both had gotten acquainted with a hard wall more than once. Man he hated poltergeists with their ectoplasm and their evil ways. Thankfully, Sam hadn't gotten to hurt, just a couple bruises and a few sore muscles. Dean rubbed his forehead where he'd hit his head against a table and had cut his forehead. It still hurt, but it wasn't that bad. Dean settled back in the seat and concentrated on driving hoping that the next town would get here soon.

"Dean, look out!"

Dean's eyes snapped open and he noticed two bright lights headed straight for him. "Oh, shit!" He quickly spun the wheel of the car to the right and the car swerved away from the on coming truck and onto the side of the road. Dean slammed on the brakes as he started to fish tail and he tried to keep the car from spinning out of control. Soon they were stopped on the side of the road in a cloud of dust. Dean breathed hard as he tried to get his heart to stop trying to climb out of his throat. He could hear Sam breathing hard and looked over at his brother to see him with his arm braced against the dash, his eyes wide with fright looking out the front window. "You, okay?"

Sam turned and just looked at him for a moment still breathing kind of hard. "Am I okay?" he asked in exasperation.

"Yeah, are you hurt?" Dean looked his brother over making sure that he couldn't see any specific injuries.

Sam just shook his head. "No, I'm fine." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Are you?"

Dean turned back to the front and looked out the windshield. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…must have dozed off a little bit." He said the last softly as he put the car back into gear and eased back out on the highway.

"You dozed off? Dean, you almost got us killed."

Dean frowned at that. He almost had. He'd slipped up and almost got his little brother killed because he was too tired to drive. "I know," he said softly.

Things were quiet for a while and Dean wondered how far they were away from the next town. Hopefully he hadn't passed it while he was asleep. He was still freaked out that he had fallen asleep.

"Dean." Sam waited for a reply. "Dean, we need to talk about this."

"Oh, come on, Sam. What is there to talk about? Nothing happened all right? I'm just…tired." It killed Dean to admit that. He hated being weak. He was a Winchester. He should be able to be ready for anything and not complain when everything went to Hell in a hand basket, but this shook him.

"Dean, come on, you're more than "just" tired. You're exhausted. We've been going non-stop for months now. I can't even remember how many hunts we've been on in the last month alone."

"Ten, but who's counting," Dean said with a slight smile at Sam. Sam was not amused though.

"Exactly. We've been working our butts off and now it's starting to take a toll. Because, I don't know about you, but…I'm _tired_."

"So, what? Are you saying you need a break?" Dean looked at Sam hoping silently that his brother would say yes.

"Yes. I guess I am. I mean would that be so terrible? Stay in one place for more than a couple days. Maybe actually be able to sleep in for a change. I don't know? Do…something besides hunt for a change." Sam sighed in frustration and turned to the passenger window to look out at the dark scenery as it flew past.

Dean could see the lights of the next town up ahead and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it was time that they took a break. If not for him, then for Sammy. His brother needed a break. If nothing else maybe a few days in one place would give Sam the chance to get a good nights sleep. "Okay."

Sam abruptly swung around to look at Dean. "Okay? You serious?"

Dean thought about it for a second and then nodded. "Yeah. After we finish to hunt for Bobby, we'll take some time off. Maybe go someplace warm. Hang out. I don't know…see a movie maybe. Deal?" He glanced at Sam and could see the starts of a smile on his brother's face.

"Yeah. Deal." Sam gave a small chuckle as he turned back towards the windshield and looked at the approaching town.

Dean smiled slightly at how happy that made Sam. In fact he was actually happy about it himself. It had been a long time since they had actually done something together that didn't involve hunting. It would be good to be able to just hang out with his kid brother and maybe reconnect a little bit. It seemed that there were still a lot of things that he didn't know about Sam and what he had done in those four years that he had been at college. Maybe this would be the perfect thing.

They reached the city limits and soon Dean found a small motel and pulled in. He went to the office and got them a room. They pulled the car in front of the room and unloaded they're duffel bags. As they opened the door both brothers just stopped for a second when the light came on. "Good, God. They must be joking," murmured Dean as he looked at the horrid interior. The walls were done in black and white striped wallpaper that ran horizontal giving the impression that you were walking down a very long hall. The carpet was red and green swirls that clashed severely with orange flowered bedspreads.

"What did an interior design project explode in here?" asked Sam as he walked in slowly and put his duffel on the far bed. He tried not to look at the walls for too long otherwise he could sweat that they moved. The optical effect was so weird.

"Man, I don't care right now. I'm so tired." Dean threw his duffel off to the side and flopped down on his bed fully clothed.

Sam chuckled slightly and opened his duffel bag to get out some clothes. "Hey, you gonna take a shower?"

Dean shook his head slightly not even bothering to get up. "Nah, you go ahead."

Sam quickly showered and came back out dressed in his nightclothes. Dean was still in the same position sound asleep. Sam laughed softly. Dean must be really tired. He quickly pulled his brother's shoes off and flipped the other half of the covers over his brother before making sure the door was locked. He let go with a huge yawn and decided he was too tired to try and salt the windows and door. They should be fine for the night. He padded softly over to his bed and climbed in before shutting off the light. "Night, Dean." He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

Dean started to come away slowly. He moved slightly and decided that that was the wrong thing to do. He groaned as aches and pains shot through his body. He tried to open his eyes and then groaned as bright light assaulted his eyes. Why was it so bright? He brought his hand up to shade his eyes and tried to open them again. He blinked trying to get his vision to focus and groaned as he tried to sit up. He looked around groggily trying to figure out where he was.

Suddenly, Dean was fully awake as he realized he was asleep in the back of the Impala. "What the-" He looked out the windows and felt even more confused. It was nothing but white sand in every direction. "Where the hell am I?" He sat up even more and groaned as his body protested the movement. He looked down at himself still trying to figure out what had happened. The last thing he remembered was passing out on that motel room bed in Oklahoma, and this definitely didn't look like Oklahoma.

He had on his leather jacket and Dean couldn't see any obvious wounds or bruises. He noticed his knuckles were bruised as if he had hit something but other than that nothing. He put his hand to his forehead and realized that the cut on his forehead was almost healed. This confused him even more. What the hell happened to him?

He got out of the car and looked around. Nothing but sand as far as he could see. No distinguishing landmarks or anything to tell him where he was. Maybe Sam would know where they were… "Sammy!" Dean spun back to the car. Where was Sam? Dean looked around trying to find his brother, but nothing. "Sam!" Dean looked out at the desert again hoping maybe he'd see his brother, but he wasn't there. "Sam." It was more of a whisper than a word.

Please review, but be gentle. This is my first time trying my hand at fanfic. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

TRUST

Chapter 2

Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it's done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit.

Suddenly Dean's phone started to ring. He jumped at the sound and then frantically searched his pockets for the thing. He pulled it out and hit talk. "Hello?"

"Dean? Where the hell have you boys been? I've been trying to reach you for a week."

"Bobby?"

"Yeah. Who'd you think it was? What happened? I sent you on that job down in Texas but you never showed?"

Dean pushed a hand through his hair as he tried to gather his muddled thoughts. "Bobby, I don't know. I…we stopped at a motel in Oklahoma and then…"

"Dean calm down. What happened? Where's Sam?"

Dean shook his head as he looked around at the blank scenery. "I don't know. I mean…I went to sleep and then the next thing I know…I'm waking up in the fucking desert. Sam's gone. I don't know where he is. Bobby…I don't know what's happening." Dean could feel a lump in his throat as everything just became too much. Sam was gone and he didn't know where. How did this happen. He knew he was panicking, but he didn't know how to stop it.

"Dean? Dean! Calm down okay. Have you tried to call, Sam? Maybe you can reach him."

Dean nodded and swallowed hard against the emotions trying to choke him. "Yeah. Okay. I'll try him. Okay."

"Okay, Dean. When you find him…call me."

Dean nodded. "Okay." He hung up without saying goodbye. Dean stared at his phone for a second trying to calm his frazzled nerves and then dialed his brother. "Okay."

The phone rang and Dean's fingers tapped against his thigh as he waited for his brother to pick up. "Come on, Sammy. Pick up. Please, pick up." The phone continued to ring and soon Dean could hear something in the background. It took him a moment to realize it was Sam's phone. He tried to follow it, but soon it had switched to voice mail so he tried to call again. Soon he realized it was coming from the trunk of the car. What was Sam's phone doing in the trunk? Dean hunted around in his pockets for his keys and found them quickly opening the trunk.

It took Dean a moment to realize what he was looking at. "Oh my God, Sam." Dean quickly put away his phone as he took in his brother's beaten and broken body. Sam lay scrunched up in the trunk with his hands cuffed behind his back. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts, one eye almost completely swollen shut. Dean quickly searched for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one. He then shook Sam's shoulder trying to get him to wake up. "Come on, Sammy. Open your eyes for me." Dean patted Sam's face slightly and was relieved to hear his brother groan slightly. "Sam, come on wake up. Let me see those big puppy dog eyes of yours."

Sam groaned again as Dean shook him a little harder and stirred trying to open his eyes. "Dean?" His voice was soft and confused.

Dean smiled slightly, "That's right little brother. It's your fantastic big brother." Dean could feel a little of the tension leave him as Sam started to come around. "What happened to you? It looks like you went ten rounds with a wendigo and lost."

Sam's eyes blinked open and he looked groggily up at Dean. "Dean?" he asked again before his eyes got wide and he sucked in a frightened breath and started to pull away from him. "No, please. Don't hurt me. Please."

Dean froze in shock at the absolute fear that was splashed on his brother's face. Fear of _him_, his big brother. "Sam."

"Please, leave me alone. I won't say anything. Just…" Fear radiated off of Sam as a small tear ran down his cheek. Dean's heart fell into his stomach and he pulled back as if he'd been slapped in the face. His brother was afraid of him.

"Sammy, it's okay. It's me, Dean. Okay? It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Dean said it softly trying to calm Sam down as he fought through his own emotions. What had happened that would make Sam so afraid of him? He reached out slowly to Sam as if approaching a scared dog. Sam tried to pull away even more, but he had nowhere to go in the small confines of the trunk. He flinched when Dean finally touched his shoulder and then the side of his face, but Dean tried not to show how much that hurt him. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you."

Sam stared at him for a moment trembling with fear. He searched his brother's eyes for some kind of lie waiting for the act to drop, but it never did. Maybe…this was true? "Dean?" That one word was filled with so much emotion. Hope, fear, and anguish.

"Yeah, Sam, it's me. It's really me." Dean watched his brother's eyes search his eyes still not quite believing that it was truly him. "Here. Let me help you out of there." Dean moved to help Sam out of the trunk and tried not to notice that he flinched at each touch or that his eyes never left his face. Always searching, always waiting for a change. Between the two of them they got Sam out of the trunk and propped against the back of the car. Sam swayed slightly once he was fully standing and Dean kept a steady hand on his shoulder to help keep him upright.

"Thanks," Sam said quietly his gaze skittering around looking everywhere except at Dean as if he was now afraid to look him in the eye.

"No problem, little brother." Dean looked at Sam for an awkward moment before springing into action again. "Here, let me get your hands." He turned to look at the cuffs but then realized he didn't know where the key was. He searched his pockets hoping to find the key, but also holding onto the hope that if he didn't find the key in a pocket he could deny that it had probably been him who had done this to his little brother. A slight chill ran through him when he found the key in his jeans' pocket.

He swallowed the big lump forming in his throat as he slowly moved to undo the cuffs. He didn't remember anything that had happened. He didn't know why or how he had hurt his little brother, but all he knew was that he somehow had. It shouldn't be like this. He was supposed to protect, Sam. Keep him safe. It was his _job_. He felt sick to his stomach as he realized that he had failed miserably and didn't know if Sam would ever trust him again.

Sam winced as he brought his arms out from behind him and rubbed his wrists trying to get feeling back in his hands. He kept glancing warily at Dean but never looking too long at him.

"So what happened?" asked Dean.

Sam finally stopped and looked at Dean trying to figure out if he was joking. "What happened? Are you serious?" There was bite in those words and now Dean flinched.

"I don't remember," Dean almost whispered as he searched Sam's face for some form of understanding.

"You don't-" Sam was breathing hard trying to reel in his emotions. "Dean…what the hell. You tie me up, threaten to kill me, beat the crap out of me for God knows how long…and then you say you don't _remember_?"

Dean shook his head slightly not knowing what to say. "I don't."

Sam's jaw clenched and he looked away his one good eye searching the barren sand as if hoping to find answers. "Well, one things for sure, you weren't possessed by a demon," he said bitterly before looking back at Dean. "I mean I can't tell you how many times I said Christo hoping…praying that it wasn't you. That you were possessed, but…you weren't. It was you. All you."

Dean flinched and stepped away looking down at his feet trying to keep the tears at bay. He had hoped that maybe. It would explain why he couldn't remember, but that hope had just taken a big nosedive and now he didn't know what to think. "I don't know, but…it wasn't me. I could never hurt you, Sam." He looked up at his brother trying to convey how much he meant that into that one look. "Never."

Sam laughed humorlessly and looked down at his feet. "Yeah, well…you did."

Dean was silent not knowing what to say or do. He so wanted to go and put a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. Tell him it would all be all right and that they would figure this out. But he couldn't. He was the one that had done this to, Sam. He was the one that had hurt him, and he knew that even if they did figure out an explanation for all of this. He had lost the one thing that he valued more than anything in this world…his little brother's trust.

The brother's were silent for a while trying to decide what to do neither really looking at the other. Finally, Dean moved. "Come on. Let's get out of here. Get you cleaned up." Dean looked at his brother one more time for a long moment and then moved towards the driver's side door. He got in and then waited with baited breath for Sam. He didn't move for some time. Finally he did closing the trunk and moving to the passenger side. Dean looked back as Sam opened the back door and slid in closing the door and turning to look at Dean as he scrunched as close to the door as possible. The brothers just looked at each other for a long moment before Dean turned back towards the front with a pained look on his face. He started the car and put it in gear and drove away.

As he drove through the featureless desert his mind raced with thoughts trying to figure out what the hell had happened. He couldn't remember a damn thing after going to sleep that night. If what Bobby had said was true, they had been missing for over a week. What had happened in that lost week? Dean tried to wrack his mind for the answers, but was coming up with nothing. His grip on the steering wheel tightened in frustration and he resisted the urge to smack the wheel with his fist.

He glanced in the rear view mirror and noticed Sam was looking out the window a tense look on his face as if he were searching for answers too. All Dean knew is that he had to find out what the hell had happened and knew that no matter what he wouldn't stop until somehow he won back his brothers trust because without it. Dean didn't even want to think about that. _"Don't worry, Sam. We'll figure this out," he thought as he continued to study his brother in the rearview mirror._ He looked back out the windshield and sighed. _We will._


	3. Chapter 3

TRUST

Chapter 3

Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it's done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit.

Sam didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until he heard someone calling his name. "Sam. Hey, Sammy. Wake up." Sam slowly opened his eyes and groaned slightly as his body let him know that it did not like what had been done to it. He looked around trying to remember where he was when he saw Dean watching him. He couldn't help but jump slightly and straightened in his seat.

Pain flashed in Dean's eyes and he looked away towards the windshield. "We're here."

Sam looked around trying to determine where 'here' was. They had pulled up in front of a motel called The Desert Oasis. "Where are we?"

"Pahrump, Nevada." Dean continued to look at him with a slight smile on his face as if he was expecting Sam to say something but he wasn't sure what. Soon the smile faded and Dean looked away. "I'm gonna go on in. You coming?" Sam looked at Dean's pleading eyes and finally nodded. Dean got out and Sam relaxed a little. It was hard not to look at his brother now and not remember what he had done to him in the last week.

Sam checked the gun he had pulled out of the trunk earlier to make sure it was still in his pocket and then slowly got out of the car. Dean was standing at the trunk just staring at the empty floorboard when Sam stepped into his line of sight. Dean started slightly and looked at Sam. "Uh, do you know where our bags are?"

Sam shook his head slightly. "No. I think we had them for the first couple of days, but after that…I'm not sure. Maybe they got left somewhere."

"Okay," Dean said almost questioningly trying to remember something. He closed the trunk and turned to Sam. "Uh, we're in room eight." He pointed to the room in front of the car and motioned for Sam to head that way. He paused momentarily as Dean headed towards the door then followed his brother in to the room.

The room was fairly nondescript: beige walls, tan colored carpeting, two beds, a nightstand with a lamp in between, and a table and chairs by the window. Dean stood in the center of the room looking around as if he was at a loss of what to do next. Sam closed the door and then pulled one of the chairs out from the table to sit in. Dean turned to look at him as he took off his coat and then went to sit on the edge of the bed farthest from Sam. Neither brother knew what to say or where to start. The tension in the room was palpable.

It was finally Dean who spoke first. "We should get you cleaned up." He jumped to his feet and headed towards the bathroom to grab a washcloth.

Sam tensed slightly. "No, I'm fine. Dean, just…come and sit down." He waited for his brother to come back. He was carrying a washcloth as he approached Sam slowly. Usually Dean would have just sat down at the table and started to clean Sam's wounds. But with Dean's unease of not knowing what had happened and Sam's nervousness at whether this was all over, Dean just handed Sam the washcloth and then walked back to the bed to sit down.

Sam gingerly pressed the warm washcloth to his split lip and winced slightly at the pain. "So what do you remember?"

Dean looked down at his hands studying the bruised and bloody knuckles. "I don't know. I think it was that motel in Oklahoma. You know…the…freaky looking room. We'd been talking about taking a break after this next hunt. I remember going to sleep and then…I was waking up in the back of the Impala. And then I found you." Sam could hear the pain and confusion in his brother's voice and Sam felt a pang of remorse for his brother. He really didn't remember. "So what happened?"

Sam put the washcloth down and took a big sigh and held up his hands in a 'I don't know' gesture. "The next morning I woke up to find you standing over me with…rage in your eyes. Before I could do anything you were on top of me hitting me. You kept saying 'You thought you could get away?' and then you tied me up. After that…we kept traveling stopping each night at a new place until last night. I didn't know what happened. I'd never seen you like that." Sam shook his head slightly looking off into the distance as he remembered the hate in Dean's eyes. "The only time you came close was right after Dad died. You scared me." Sam looked at Dean and could see the emotions boiling under his brother's stony exterior.

"What did I do to you?" It was said without emotion but Sam could see that it was difficult for Dean to say it.

Sam just shook his head and looked down. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," It was said quickly and with anger.

"No, it doesn't. Now just-"

Dean pounded his hands on his knees and stoop abruptly. "Damn it, Sam! Just tell me! What did I do to you?" He stood in front of Sam hands balled into fists and anger in his eyes.

Sam was pushed back in his chair a frightened look in his eyes bracing for what would come next.

Dean suddenly realized what he had done and took a shaky step back as he unclenched his fists. "I'm sorry," he whispered looking down at the floor. A sour taste crept into his mouth and he suddenly felt like the room was too small. "I'm gonna…go get us some supplies." He went and got his coat off the bed and looked back at Sam. Sam still held that look of fear in his eyes and Dean looked away again unable to stand it. "You should get yourself cleaned up. Don't want you to get an infection," he said softly not looking at Sam. He grabbed the keys off the dresser and walked out the door not looking back.

He just needed to get away. Walk. Just do something so that he wouldn't explode. His breathing came in short gasps as he tried to keep his emotions in check. When he reached an alleyway he ducked inside away from the people on the sidewalks. As he reached the back he paced for a moment before slamming his fist into the wall. He grimaced in pain but hit the wall again letting his frustration drain away. _Damn it!_ The little bit of trust he had gained with Sam was thrown out the window with that little outburst. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes trying to rid the memory of the fear in Sam's eyes as he stood in front of him with clenched fists. He needed to fix this. Find out what had happened and he didn't think he could do it alone.

Dean banged his head against the wall once before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He hit the speed dial and waited for the other person to pick up.

"Hello?" Came the gruff voice from the other end.

"Bobby, its Dean."

"Dean? Did you find, Sam?"

Dean nodded slightly even though he knew the older hunter couldn't see him. "Yeah, I found him," he said softly trying to fight against the lump forming in his throat.

"Is he okay?" Bobby could tell something was wrong.

"Not really. Bobby," Dean took a deep breath. "Can you get here?"

There was a slight pause from the older man. "Yeah, I guess. Where are you?"

"Pahrump, Nevada. It's not too far from Las Vegas. How long will it take you?"

Bobby tried to calculate the miles. "Probably about a day, maybe a little less. I'm in Waco, Texas. When you guys didn't show up for that hunt, I went and took care of it. Dean…what happened?" he asked gently.

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, I woke up and a week is gone. The last thing I remember is staying at a motel in Oklahoma."

"What about, Sam?"

Dean felt his throat tighten at the thought of his little brother. "He's scared of me," he said in almost a whisper. At that omission Dean almost broke down tears forming in his eyes. "He says that I turned evil. Bobby…I beat the crap out of him." Dean tried to pull himself together then not wanting to sound weak especially to Bobby. "I don't know what to do. I need…help."

Bobby was silent for a second his heart going out to older Winchester. If Dean was asking for help, then this was bad. "Okay, just calm down. Just take of yourself and Sam for now. Okay? I'll be there as soon as I can. In the mean time, see what you can find out about what happened in the past week. Where'd you go? Did you talk to anyone? Maybe check out that motel you stayed at. We'll figure this out, Dean. Trust me."

Dean nodded feeling slightly better. "Okay. When you get here we're staying at the Desert Oasis, Room 8."

They exchanged their farewells and then Dean hung up. He closed his eyes trying to gather his thoughts and then pushed away from the wall. He could do this. He had to do this. If not for him, then for Sam. He wasn't going to let his little brother down again.

Sam stood in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror. He had definitely had seen better days. One eye was completely swollen shut, he had a cut on his eyebrow and his lip was split. Bruises covered his face and trailed down his neck. Sam pulled the neckline of his hoodie down to reveal red marks in the shape of fingers circling his neck.

He thought he heard a noise in the motel room and snapped a quick look to the door. Was Dean back already? He had locked the bathroom door, but he still held his breath in trepidation. When no sounds followed, he released his held breath. He took the gun out of his shirt pocket and laid it on the back of the stool where he could reach it if need be.

He knew he was probably being overly cautious, but he couldn't help it. Up until a week ago he had always felt safe in the fact that no matter what Dean would be there to protect him. To suddenly have the one person he completely trusts turn against him made him feel on edge. His heartbeat sped up at the thought of seeing Dean so angry earlier. He had wondered for a moment if 'Evil' Dean was back. He decided he wasn't going to take any chances.

As Sam sat down on the toilet seat he winced slightly. He then started to pull his hoodie off trying to bite back a cry of pain as his ribs and back protested the movement. Once that was off he then tackled his T-shirt. He winced slightly as the material stuck to a few of his injuries. He didn't know how serious some of them were but he figured that probably some of them were infected. He studied his T-shirt after he had pulled it off noticing the criss-crossed bloodstains littering the whole back of the shirt. He knew he needed to get them cleaned, but he didn't have anything to clean them with. Plus, he'd have to ask Dean and he didn't know if he was ready for that yet.

He stripped off the rest of his clothes and turned the shower on waiting for the water to heat up. He gingerly stepped in and let the hot water flow over his aching body. The water stung as it hit his many injuries and Sam could see that the water ran pink down the drain. He tried to clean himself as best as possible watching to water until it ran clear. He then got out and dried off.

There was a slight knock and Sam tensed. "Sammy? I bought you some clean clothes. Do you want them?"

Sam tentatively went and unlocked the door. He carefully opened the door making sure to only peek his head out. Dean stood there with a T-shirt, a pair of boxers, and some sweat pants. "Here," he said meekly holding them up to Sam never meeting his eyes.

Sam reached out and grabbed them. He mumbled thanks and then quickly shut the door locking it.

After getting dressed he slipped the gun into his waistband and then opened the door. Dean sat at the table across the room with a bag of food scarfing down a burger. There was a bag sitting on Sam's bed and Sam gingerly made his way over to it. The shower had helped some, but he was still pretty sore.

Dean studied Sam as he walked to the bed and noticed his brother's pained expression. "You okay?" he asked.

Sam nodded as he grabbed a burger out of the bag. "I'm fine."

They ate in silence not knowing what to say. Dean had picked up some first aid supplies and gave Sam a couple of painkillers. After a while Sam was feeling pretty tired he laid back trying to find a comfortable position and failing. He finally decided to lie on his side, which didn't hurt quite as bad as his back. He sighed as exhaustion washed over him. He discreetly pulled the gun from his pants and laid it under the other pillow making sure the safety was on. Soon he was asleep.

Dean stared at his brother watching as he fell asleep. He knew he must be exhausted. Sam's breathing evened out and deepened and Dean knew he was truly asleep. Dean quickly pulled the shades to make the room darker and then sat back in the chair to watch his brother sleep. Soon he was asleep himself.

A/N: Hope you are liking it so far. Please let me know by reviewing. There will be more soon.


	4. Chapter 4

TRUST

Chapter 4

Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it's done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit.

"_Please…don't…do this." It was a pain filled plea that he knew fell on deaf ears, but he had to try. Sam was tied to a chair with his head leaning heavily on his chest. He didn't have the strength to raise it. Blood dripped from his split lip and busted nose._

_His head was lifted from his chest by a hand and he was forced to look into the cold eyes of his brother before Dean gave him a right hook that sent Sam's head back to his chest. Sam groaned in pain and Dean smirked as he turned away. "Don't worry, Sammy boy. If I do this right." Dean turned back to Sam holding a very sharp knife in his hand. "It won't hurt." With that he sliced quickly across Sam's shoulder and Sam cried out in pain. "Much," he said with an evil grin._

Dean woke with a start and then stifled a groan as his neck gave a sharp twinge from the position he had been sleeping in. _'I really need to stop sleeping like that,'_ he thought. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then looked over at Sam. He was still asleep. Dean wondered what time it was. He looked at his watch. 6:30…A.M. or P.M.?

He peeled back the curtain slightly and decided it was evening by the heavy sun in the sky. They had slept most of the day it would seem. Dean quickly got up and padded to the bathroom to take care of his business. Once he was done he stared at himself in the mirror.

It was kind of unnerving to see Sam so beat up and yet there were no bruises on his face. You'd think that Sam would've been able to get at least one punch in. But, of course, that had been a week ago. It would probably be healed by now like the cut on his forehead.

He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. There weren't any bruises or cuts anywhere on his body and that just made his stomach clench in apprehension. There should be some sign of something. Something different about him to give him some clue as to what had happened to him to make him go all 'evil', but there was nothing.

As the hot water beat down on his body, he thought about the dream he had had just before he woke up. It gave him chills to feel how unemotionally calm he had been while beating Sam. He knew it was him that had caused the damage, but up until now he had not remembered any of it. He turned to face the spray letting it run down his face and down his chest. If the dream had been a memory, then he'd have to ask Sam about it and take care of the injuries.

He quickly finished washing himself and then stepped out of the shower so he could dry himself off. He quietly stepped out of the bathroom to grab the clothes he had bought for himself and then slipped back into the bathroom. After getting dressed he noticed Sam's clothes lying on the floor in the corner. He picked them up to examine them and nearly gagged when he saw Sam's T-shirt. New guilt swelled in him and he wondered how his brother had kept this from him. He knew probably why, but it still irked him that he had kept it from him.

Dean left the dirty clothes where they lay and walked back into the room. Sam was still asleep so Dean decided to go get some food. When he returned, Sam was just waking up.

"You're up." Dean sat the food on the table and watched as Sam struggled to sit up, the pain obvious on his face.

"Yeah." Once he was up, Sam scrubbed a hand through his hair gingerly wincing with the movement. "What time is it?"

Dean sat down on the bed opposite his little brother. "Uh, almost 7:30 in the evening. Looks like we both crashed pretty hard."

Sam nodded slightly and looked over at the bag of food. "So what'd you bring us?"

Dean looked over at the bag and then got up to retrieve it. "Uh, some sandwiches. Found a diner not too far from here. Same as earlier." He brought the bag back over and handed Sam a sandwich. They ate in silence for a moment as Dean tried to gather enough courage for the next question.

"So did you remember anything else?" Sam asked hesitantly giving Dean a furtive look.

Dean took a bite of his sandwich and then nodded. "Yeah. At least…I think I did." He sighed and put down his sandwich. "Sam, why didn't you tell me how bad you were hurt."

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine, Dean. Really, it's not that bad."

Dean snorted at that comment. "Yeah, right. You're fine. Sam…I saw your shirt. I remember…a little bit. About a knife?" He brother flinched slightly at that revelation. "Sam, you really need me to take a look at your injuries. If any of them got infected…"

Sam was quiet for a moment. He bit his lip in apprehension and then nodded once. "Okay."

Dean nodded once and then went to retrieve the first aid kit and supplies that he had bought. He sat down tentatively next to his brother on the bed and helped Sam take his shirt off. Sam hissed slightly in pain and Dean grimaced when he saw his brother's torso. "Jesus, Sam." Guilt welled up in Dean and he clenched his jaw in anger at what he had done to his little brother.

His brother's stomach and sides were a patchwork of bruises and cuts. Dean could tell that some ribs were at least bruised if not broken. He gingerly felt along the ribs and sighed slightly when he didn't find any broken. He then started to clean and inspect the cuts on his front. None of them were too bad and were actually starting to scab over. Dean's grimace deepened as he took in the bruises around Sam's neck. _He had tried to strangle him._

A flash of his brother's face with his hands wrapped around his throat flitted before his eyes and Dean closed them trying to shake it off.

"You okay?" Sam asked a touch of worry in his voice.

Dean nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Just, uh, remembering I guess." He continued his inspection trying to keep his emotions in check as he surveyed the damage.

He tried not to flinch when Dean touched him but he knew that Dean noticed. Sam studied his brother's face trying to figure out what was going through his head. He could definitely see guilt, worry, and sadness there; but there was also anger. At himself for doing this or at Sam he wasn't sure.

Done with the wounds on Sam's front he then had Sam turn so he could see his back and just stopped. The wave of emotions that washed over Dean was so intense that he didn't even know how to describe it. He could feel his throat tighten and his stomach clench at the sight of his brother's torn up back. "Oh, God, Sammy," he whispered.

"It's okay. It's not that bad." Sam tried to placate.

Dean's jaw clenched and he exhaled loudly as the anger at himself built. '_Yeah right.'_ Sam's back was a mess of cuts, bruises, and burns. Some of the cuts were small, but others were deep and slightly weeping with infection. He knew that his brother had a slight temperate from how hot he felt and Dean cursed at himself for not thinking about this earlier. He should have insisted that he take a look at it last night. Who knows how long some of these had been infected?

He pondered the best way to clean the wounds without hurting his brother so much. There were so many. He went back to the bathroom and got a towel and then proceeded to pour hydrogen peroxide over his brother's back. Sam cried out as the medicine bubbled and burned through the many wounds and Dean flinched in sympathy. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It needed to be done," Sam said through clenched teeth. Dean poured some more over his back and Sam pounded the mattress with his fist. "Sonofa-"

Once it was done, Dean inspected some of the worst making sure that they didn't need more care. Thankfully there were only a few that needed butterfly stitches. He then carefully inspected the burns on his brother's back. He carefully placed a hand on Sam's shoulder next to one of the burns and looked at the design trying to figure out what caused it. "Sam, these burns." Sam tensed slightly. "What caused them?" It seemed like there were two different types, both circular in nature.

Sam was quiet for a moment, a frown creasing his features then he shook his head. "I don't remember," he mumbled slightly.

Dean knew he was lying. Trying to protect him from the memory? "Oh come on, Sam. I know that I did this. Just tell me-"

The memory hit him like a punch to the gut.

_He could see Sam tied to a chair in a room shaking in fear pleading. "Please, stop. Dean, please…no more." He circled his brother inspecting him as if he were a bug under a microscope as he puffed on a cigar. "Now come on, Sam. This is nothing. You need to suck it up and take it like a man." Dean took the cigar he had been smoking and pressed it into his brother's skin. Sam whimpered in pain and Dean smiled at the sound. "Now…I want you to say that you'll never try to leave again."_

There was a flash and the scene changed.

_He was sitting in the Impala on a deserted stretch of road, the radio playing an old blues song as he sat there with the door open. He heard a groan and looked down at Sam lying on the ground at his feet. "Ah, good of you to join us in the land of the living." He heard a click and turned back into the car to grab something. When he turned back, he held the glowing cigarette lighter from the car in his hand. "Now…where were we."_

The memory ended and Dean snapped back to reality. His hand still rested on his brother's shoulder and he looked down at the damage he had done to his little brother.

Sam turned slightly towards him with a quizzical look on his face. "Dean, are you okay?"

Dean could feel the bile rising in his throat and he quickly stumbled towards the bathroom before he lost the contents of his stomach. He couldn't believe that he had done that to Sam. He was supposed to protect him and yet he had… He heaved again and could feel more bile come up. Tears sprang to his eyes with the effort as his stomach continued to expel every last thing in it. He had hurt, Sam. _Tortured_ him. What the hell could have happened that he could have done that? Did he really have it in him to do that to his little brother?

As Dean continued to dry heave, he realized that Sam was kneeling next to him rubbing small circles on his back trying to soothe him. He tried to catch his breath as his stomach continued to protest only gagging slightly. Finally, when he thought he could, he moved away from the toilet and leaned against the cool tiles breathing heavily.

After a while he finally looked at his brother who was staring at him with a concerned look on his face. "You remembered didn't you?" he asked.

Dean closed his eyes and nodded his head slightly.

Sam sighed heavily and looked down in guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you."

"That's okay," Dean said his voice sounding raspy. "I knew that I had done it. Just…not the how." He shivered at the memory hoping that that was the worse but dreading that it wasn't. He felt a new wave of nausea work it's way up his throat as the memories resurfaced, but he forced it back down. He couldn't break down right now. He needed to figure out what had happened. He rubbed at his eyes in frustration trying to think what to do next. "We gotta figure this out." He dropped his hand so he could look at Sam. "That couldn't have been me. I could never hurt you."

Sam looked down at his hands and nodded. "I know. I kept telling myself that, but…" He shook his head slightly. "What do we do now?" He looked back at Dean.

"I don't know. I guess… treat it like any other case? Look for clues, talk to people, see if anything makes _sense_?" He looked down at his hands studying the bruised knuckles there. "I called, Bobby. He should get here sometime tomorrow, but until then. We gotta see what we can find out from here. See if we can get anything more from my memory or…what you remember."

Sam looked away and then nodded. "Okay. Let's take it from there."

Dean nodded and then started to stand. His legs were a little wobbly, and he stood still trying to steady himself before helping Sam up off the floor. "Okay, let's finish getting you cleaned up and then get to work."

A/N: Hope you are liking it so far. Please let me know what you think by reviewing. There will be more soon.


	5. Chapter 5

TRUST

Chapter 5

Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it's done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I had a little trouble writing this chapter. Couldn't decide how to start it. As for all of you who have reviewed? Thanks so much. It's exciting to hear that you all really like the story. And to those that I haven't responded to, do know that I appreciate your words. Sometimes, I just don't know what to say. Anyway, on with the story.

A pickup truck pulled up outside the Desert Palms motel and the engine was killed. A middle aged man in a well worn baseball cap sat in the driver's seat and leaned his head back against the back window of the cab. Bobby wondered sometimes if he was getting too old to for this shit. He had driven all day yesterday and most of the night to get here and he felt exhausted. He didn't know what to expect when he knocked on that door and he hoped that it wasn't something too serious. From the way Dean had sounded when he had called he didn't know. Dean Winchester had sounded…scared, and Bobby knew that nothing scared that kid. He had once watched Dean walk straight up to a Wendigo and blast it back to Hell with a smirk on his face and a gleam of fire in his eye. But the thought of him hurting his little brother had definitely rattled Dean's carefully constructed emotional barriers. He just hoped that Sam wasn't hurt too bad.

Bobby got out of the pickup and knocked on the door of the room. When the door opened he just stood there with his mouth agape. "Jesus, Sam."

The boy was one big bruise with one eye swollen shut and cuts littering his face and arms. Bobby could tell by the way he moved that he probably had some bruised, if not broken, ribs too. He couldn't help the swell of anger that built in him when he looked at the damage that had been done.

"Hey, Bobby," said Sam evenly and he stepped aside to let the older hunter inside the room.

Bobby watched as Sam walked carefully back to the closest bed and sat down gingerly on the edge. He also noticed the gun that Sam held and figured the boy was just being careful. He looked around the room noticing the papers lying on the far bed and a map spread out on the table, but the other brother wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Where's, Dean?" he asked.

Sam looked up at him with a tired expression on his face. "He went to get some coffee and food. We had…kind of a rough night last night." His tone telling Bobby that that was an understatement.

Bobby nodded slowly and then pulled one of the chairs at the table out to sit on. "So what happened?" he asked as he leaned back in the chair.

Sam looked at him hard for a moment as different emotions flitted through those expressive eyes before answering. "What did Dean tell you?"

Bobby shrugged slightly. "Not much. Just that you guys stopped in Oklahoma and the next thing he knew it was a week later and he was in the desert and you were gone. Have you found out anything since then?"

Sam studied Bobby trying to figure out what he knew and if he could trust him. After what had happened with Dean, he wasn't quite so trusting. What if he turned against him? What if this was a trick to get him to drop his guard? What if- Jesus, he needed to get a grip. He knew he was freaking out about little things, but he couldn't help it. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair wincing slightly at the movement. "Uh, not much. We kinda pieced together a rough route of what we think we took from Oklahoma here but there are a lot of gaps." He motioned to the map on the table and Bobby turned to look at it. There were a few marks in New Mexico and Arizona, one in Nevada between the two points they knew they had been: Altus, Oklahoma and Pahrump, Nevada.

"How'd you figure these out?" Bobby looked up at Sam from under his baseball cap and Sam quickly looked down at the floor.

"Receipts, matchbooks…one of the stops I remembered." Sam said the last with a frown. "It's been kind of hard finding out any information on these places without my computer, but we do have a few things." Sam got up slowly from the bed holding his ribs and walked to the other bed making sure to keep an eye on Bobby from the corner of his eye. Sam picked up the one thing on the bed that wasn't papers and headed over towards Bobby. "Dean found this in his pockets." He handed a small key with a red rubber grip on it to Bobby and then sat back down on the bed. We're not sure what it goes to, but we're hoping it will lead us to another clue."

Bobby studied the key trying to figure out what it belonged to. "Looks like maybe a key to a locker like at a bus station or something like that." He put down the key and looked at Sam again with a quizzical look. "You said you don't have your computer. What happened to it?"

Sam shrugged slightly. "Don't know for sure. All of our stuff is gone actually. I remember we had it for a while, but after that…We were hoping maybe we'd find it somewhere along the line."

"Even your weapons?"

Sam shook his head. "No, the weapons are there, but everything else. Hell, Dean had to go buy us a change of clothes once we got here. Don't know where he got the money for them though." Sam seemed to consider that for a moment and then shook it off. "Anyway, that's what we've got so far."

Bobby was quiet for a moment as he took this all in. It wasn't much that was for sure. "So does Dean remember anything yet?"

Sam fidgeted slightly, his foot bouncing slightly. "A little. A piece here and there." Sam searched Bobby with his eyes before looking away.

"What about you? What do you remember?" His voice was gravely yet gentle as he asked the question. He could tell this was hard on the youngest Winchester.

Sam's foot stopped tapping and he looked up at Bobby with pain and fear in his eyes. Bobby returned his gaze knowing that he needed to know sooner or later.

Just then a key was heard in the lock and Sam sat up straight tensing at the sound. Bobby stood up also and moved away from the door towards Sam effectively putting himself between the boy and the door unconsciously. The door swung open and in walked Dean with two coffees balanced precariously in one hand and a bag of food hanging from the other. When he looked up he seemed surprised to see the older hunter.

"Bobby." He quickly sat down the two coffees and turned to close the door. When he turned back, the older man could see just a touch of relief in his eyes. "When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago. Sam and I were just getting caught up on what you two have found out so far."

Dean looked at Bobby quickly with hope in his eyes. "Do you have any idea what it might be?"

Bobby shook his head hating to crush his hopes. "Nope. Not yet, I haven't heard enough about it to know what it might be." Bobby watched as the light died in the older brother's eyes as he walked slowly over to the other chair to sit down, but by the time he reached it Bobby could see the walls were back up and the cool exterior was in place.

"So what do we do now?"

Bobby sighed as he went to sit down again. He glanced at both brothers before speaking. "Now, we need to go over what you two remember. Every detail. See if anything makes sense." Both brother's looked at each other and Bobby could tell that more was being said in that one look than in the whole time he had been here. "Look, I know this is difficult, but it needs to be done. Otherwise, I can't help you." Both brothers nodded in agreement although hesitantly. "Okay, who wants to start?"

Both men were silent for a while and then Dean started.

"We were driving down to Texas for that hunt you sent us on. It was late. Like…three o'clock in the morning late and we were both tired." He was up and pacing. He couldn't sit still. "We'd been going like bats out of hell for the past two months non-stop and I was _so_ tired. I guess I…fell asleep." He stopped for a moment rubbing his forehead as he saw that truck coming towards them and how close it had been. "After that we decided to stop for the night at the next town. It was a crappy motel with a whacked out room-"

"What do you mean 'whacked-out'?" asked Bobby. "Something supernatural?"

Dean just shook his head as he went back to pacing. "No, just weird. Nothing matched. It almost made you sick to look at it."

Sam chimed in at this point. "The décor just kind of screamed, 'Get out!'" He chuckled sadly at that before glancing at his brother. "I guess we should've listened."

Bobby just nodded and waited for them to continue.

Dean just stood there a weird look on his face as the reality of the situation played out. Was he the reason this all happened? "Anyway, we were just both so tired that we didn't care. It was just for one night." He stopped letting that sink in. "I remember going to sleep and then…I woke up in the back of the Impala and this had happened." He motioned to Sam and everything in general an almost sick look on his face.

Bobby nodded slightly as he pursed his lips in thought. "Okay. Anything else?" 

Dean shook his head as he rubbed at his forehead as if he had a headache. "Nah, just a few memories here and there of what…I did to, Sam" He swallowed hard trying to keep his emotions at bay.

"Do you remember anything specific about these memories?" Bobby asked trying to get more details.

Dean shook his head. "No, I-"he stopped studying the memories in his head. His eyebrows scrunched together. "I had this over powering sense of hatred towards, Sam. But at the same time a chilling calm about what I was doing. Like I had done it a thousand times before." A chill went down his spine as he remembered the feeling.

"Are you doing it, or are you watching someone doing this?" Bobby asked calmly.

Dean started to speak and then stopped as he tried to remember. "It was me? I think…yeah, it was me. I can remember what it felt like to-" He broke off the thought as he realized what he was saying a horrified look on his face. He quickly sat down as he looked over at his brother and could feel the tension radiating off of Sam. He looked away not able to look at his little brother anymore. "It was me," he said softly and then was quiet.

The room was quiet for a while as everyone let Dean's words sink in and then Sam spoke.

"I remember…waking up the next morning…and you were standing above me with a look of anger in your eyes. I couldn't help but think I had done something wrong to piss you off." He tried to keep his voice as emotionless as possible. He didn't know if he could get through this otherwise.

"Next thing I knew, you were on me, and I couldn't defend myself." He swallowed hard as a knot began to form in his throat. "You kept saying, '_You think you could get away from me?'_ God, you were angry. You just kept punching me over and over. Soon I blacked out." He could feel tears come to his eyes and he tried to push them away.

"After that, we moved from place to place. Each night we would stop and get a room. Each night, you would torture me asking me why I did it. I didn't know what you meant. I kept trying to tell myself that it wasn't you. It wasn't you. You have no idea how many times I said Christo hoping you would react." He looked at his brother and saw the pain in his eyes and then looked away again.

"But you never did. Each night was this weird motel or other place. You made sure to never leave marks where others could see…not until that last night," he said the last in a whisper his voice clogged with emotions. "That last night, we stayed in the car. You beat the crap out of me and then stuffed me in the trunk. You kept saying every time, '_How could you do this? You thought you could get away? I knew I would find you.'_ That last night I knew. I knew I wouldn't live to see the next. But then…nothing happened." A lone tear rolled down his face and he swiped at it not wanting his brother or Bobby to see him cry. "And now we're here," he said with a watery smile his voiced choked with unspent emotions

Dean couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He felt sick after hearing what Sam had said. What he had done to him. He just couldn't deal with it. Without saying a word he got up and walked out of the room. He had to get some air.

A/N: Hope you are liking it so far. Wasn't too sure about this chapter. Please let me know what you think by reviewing. Your reviews are music to my ears. There will be more soon.


	6. Chapter 6

TRUST

Chapter 6

Summary: The brothers head out for a hunt, but before it's done the bonds of trust may be too broken to be repaired ever again.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I had a little trouble writing this chapter. As for all of you who have reviewed? Thanks so much. It's exciting to hear that you all really like the story. And to those that I haven't responded to, do know that I appreciate your words. Sometimes, I just don't know what to say. Anyway, on with the story.

Dean took a shot of the hard liquor grimacing slightly as it burned down his throat. He set the shot glass down on the bar and motioned for another. This was his third since he had walked into the bar less than thirty minutes ago. The bartender, a pretty brunette with killer legs walked over to him and poured another drink.

"Rough day?" she asked in a silky voice that held a hint of too many cigarettes and liquor in her life.

"Rough week." Dean took the shot and downed it in one swallow grimacing against the rough taste of it. When he'd left the motel, he hadn't planned on going to a bar; but it after driving around for a while it seemed almost automatic to come here.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked as she rested her arms on the bar in front of him.

Dean looked long and hard at her trying to decide whether to say anything or not before looking away. "Not really…but thanks." He grinned slightly and she returned the grin.

"Let me know if you change your mind." She then pulled away from Dean to go check on her other customers.

Dean sighed heavily and put his head in his hands as he closed his eyes. His life was so incredibly fucked up. _Sure let me tell you what happened. I went to sleep in a motel in Oklahoma and then woke up a week later in the desert with no memory of what happened. Oh, and by the way, my kid brother is scared to death I'll go evil again any minute now._ Hell, he'd be locked up in the loony bin so quick his head would spin. Instead he kept it to himself wondering what the heck he was going to do. He ordered a beer and then went to go sit in one of the booths facing the door.

He still couldn't get Sam's words out of his head at what he had done to him over the past week. No wonder Sam was afraid of him. It didn't help matters that he remembered a few of the things he had done. The more he thought about it the angrier he got. Not only at himself but also at what had caused it. There was no way he would ever hurt his little brother. None. So there had to be something responsible for this.

But a little part of him wondered if that could have been him. Was he capable of doing those things…especially to Sam?

No. Never. As he sat there he went over the details in his head again trying to find some kind of clue as to what might be responsible for this. He went over each memory, every detail writing down what he could remember. He tried to hold back his emotions as he studied what he knew and failed miserably. He couldn't lose Sam. Not his Sammy. He was all he had left of his family. He wouldn't lose him now.

Dean shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. _Suck it up you pansy. You can't fall apart now._ He took a deep breath and went over the details of his memories underlining possible clues. He then remembered that when he'd woken up in the desert his phone had said he had messages. He played them hoping for something. Most of them were from Bobby or other hunters that they knew wondering what had happened to them. Then there was one that peaked his interest.

"Uh, yeah, my name is Rose. Somebody from this number called me last night?" The voice sounded older, female, and a little shaky. "I don't know who this is, but if you know where Vinny is, please call me. I miss him so much."

She left a phone number where she could be reached and Dean scribbled it on the piece of paper he had been writing on. Who the hell was Vinny? The rest of the messages were nothing important and Dean hung up trying to figure out what it all meant. Was _he_ Vinny this last week? Or was it somebody he had been looking for? Dean shook his head in confusion. He could feel the drinks he'd had start to work as the world softened slightly around the edges. He checked the number history in his phone and found several numbers he didn't recognize. He wrote those down for Sam to look up later on his laptop. Then he remembered with a slight grimace that their stuff was still missing. They'd have to figure out where they might of left it. Maybe that key they had found was where he had stashed their stuff.

Dean let out a slight growl and took a swig of his beer in frustration. There were too many things to figure out and not enough memories or facts to fill in all the gaps. He slammed the bottle down a little hard than necessary and then turned back to his phone and dialed the number for Rose.

"So you think that this might have been a ghost possession?" Sam asked and Bobby nodded. "But he didn't have any of the signs saying he was possessed. I kept saying Christo hoping that he was possessed, and his eyes never turned black."

"That's because those tells are for demons. Ghosts are a completely different ball game. There isn't any true way to tell if a ghost possesses a person, and if it was a strong one it would explain why Dean doesn't have any recollection of the time he was possessed. The only thing that can hurt a ghost really is salt, and I bet that wasn't readily available was it?"

Sam shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. After Dean had taken off, Sam had felt hurt but also relieved slightly, but now he was starting to get worried. It had been almost two hours since Dean had taken off, and he wondered where he had gone. He kept glancing at the door hoping Dean would walk through it.

"He'll come back in time." Sam looked at Bobby then. "I think he just needed to clear his thoughts a little. It's been tough on you, but it's been tough on him too," said Bobby sympathetically. He couldn't possibly know what was going through either brother's head at the moment, but he knew if they were going to get through this they would have to do it together.

Sam nodded slightly. "Yeah, I guess." A sad smile crossed his face. "It's funny. After everything that has happened in the past week…I still want Dean around to protect me." He swallowed hard trying to get past the lump in his throat. "I'm afraid of what might happen. That he might go "evil" again, but he's still my brother." He looked away trying to keep unshed tears from falling from his eyes.

"Don't worry, Sam. We'll figure this out. Besides, if anything bad does happen I'll be here to stop it."

Sam gave him a sad smile and wiped away the unshed tears. "Okay…so now what? Research?"

Bobby nodded glad for the subject change. "Yup. See if we can find what that key that you guys found goes to. Also, see if there is anything strange in the history of that motel you guys stayed at in Oklahoma. Do you remember the name of it?"

Sam nodded slightly. "Yeah. The Wandering Coyote."

"Well, that's a name for a motel if I ever heard one," muttered Bobby as he got to his feet. "Okay, why don't I take you to the local library since you don't have your laptop and I'll go see if I can find Dean. We'll check out the storage places in the area, see if anyone knows what that key might fit."

Sam nodded in agreement and went to get cleaned up.

Bobby walked into the bar and let his eyes adjust the dimmer interior. It was a smaller bar with a jukebox sitting in the corner. The pretty brunette behind the bar looked up and nodded in greeting, which Bobby returned. He knew that Dean was here because the Impala was out front. He scanned the room and then noticed Dean sitting in one of the booths along the back wall. His head was down and he was studying something that was lying on the table. He walked up to him and waited for Dean to acknowledge him.

Dean finally looked up and smiled slightly at him. "Hey, Bobby," he said with a slight slur.

Bobby sat down across from him taking in the younger hunter. "Been here long?" He could tell that Dean had been drinking but was only slightly buzzed.

Dean shook his head. "Nah, just an hour or so. How'd you find me?"

"Well, it's not too hard with that big behemoth of a car you drive. It kind of sticks out from all those more modern day ones."

"Hey, don't be talking about her like that. She's never done me wrong," Dean said forcefully not willing to take any crap about his baby.

Bobby just shook his head slightly and then leaned forward to look at what Dean had been looking at. "So, what do you got?"

Dean looked at Bobby and then back to the paper. "Notes. Details from what I remember. A few phone numbers from my phone, and…" he held up a finger telling Bobby to wait. "A phone message from someone who I evidently called during my lost week."

Bobby looked at Dean in surprise. "Really? Who was it?"

Dean looked at Bobby and then frowned as if remembering something before looking around. "Where's, Sam?"

"He's okay. He's at the library. We figured we'd split up. Get more done that way." Bobby could see the hurt look pass on Dean's face and quickly changed the subject. "So, you were saying? You called someone last week?"

Dean cleared his throat and the nodded. "Yeah, a lady named Rose. Actually lives in Vegas. Said I called and left a message about some guy named Vinny. Turns out, Vinny was her husband. He disappeared in 1963 after going on a business trip. Apparently he worked for the casinos at the time as a security guard. His wife filed a police report after he disappeared, but there was nothing."

"What was his last name?" asked Bobby his interest peaked.

"Delfingo. Nice Italian name if I say so myself. I'm thinking there's more to this than just a missing person." Dean took a swig of his beer. "Plus, details from my memories kind of point to someone from that era. The music for one. I would never pick that kind of stuff to listen to. I think we might be dealing with a mob hit man."

Bobby was quiet for a moment mulling the information around. "Maybe. It's a possibility. We'll just have to check this guy out. I'll give Sam a call and tell him to check it out." Dean nodded and sat back as Bobby made the call. Once he was off the phone with Sam Bobby sat back and just looked at Dean. "So how are you doing with all this?"

Dean was quiet as he played with his beer bottle. "I'm fine," he said trying not to sound like any of this affected him.

"Bullshit." Dean looked at Bobby in surprise. "Dean, I know you. I can tell that this is eating you up inside. Well, let me tell you something. This is _not_ your fault. You didn't know that that was going to happen. It was just…a stroke of bad luck. Granted you boys seem to have more than your share of that sometimes."

Dean smiled slightly at that.

"But you couldn't have done a damn thing to prevent it. Just know that we'll figure this out and get whatever caused this and send it's ass back to where it belongs." Bobby voice left no room for doubts making sure that Dean understood before moving on. He then sighed and ran a hand across his face. "Okay. I figured we'd see if we could find out what that key you found in your pocket is and what it fits. Maybe we'll find your stuff. You up to doing a search of the area?"

Dean looked at his beer bottle for a moment and then at Bobby. He nodded once. "Sure. Let's go.

A/N: Hope you are liking it so far. Give you a few more clues to the puzzle. Please let me know what you think by reviewing. The help to feed the muse. There will be more soon.


	7. Chapter 7

TRUST

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Same as before. I don't anything.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. Life, you know. But, since you had to wait so long. This one's a little longer than usual. As for all of you who have reviewed? Thanks so much. And to those that I haven't responded to, do know that I appreciate your words. Anyway, on with the story.

The road so far… 

Sam and Dean were on their way to a hunt when they stopped at a motel in Oklahoma. The next day, Dean wakes up to find it's a week later and evidently he has held Sam hostage the whole time. While trying to repair the trust lost between him and Sam, Dean begins to remember bits and pieces of the previous week. Out of desperation, he calls in Bobby to help. With Bobby's help, they figure out that they're dealing with a ghost possession and that the ghost might be a guy named Vinny Delfingo. Now the three hunters are trying to figure out where the boys were and what happened to all their stuff.

Now…

Sam stood off to the side of the library waiting for Dean and Bobby to show up. He had finished his research a while ago and decided to wait outside instead of having to endure the looks he was getting inside.

He still remembered the look the librarian had given him when he had asked where the microfilm was. She had gasped when she looked up to see his bruised and beaten face.

"My dear lord, son. What happened to you?" the older woman had asked and Sam had blushed even though you couldn't tell with all the bruising. He had concocted a story about being mugged and had tried not to frown at the look of pity the woman had given him. After that, he had become more aware of the looks he was receiving from the other people in the library and had tried to hide back in one of the corners until he was done.

Until just then he hadn't realized how awful he looked. In their line of work it was common place to be bruised or bloody and he had become used to it.

He glanced at the street once more before flipping through some of the notes he had taken. He frowned slightly as he tried to piece together a few more details of what might have happened when he heard the throaty purr of the Impala pull up in front of the library. He quickly walked down the stairs and got in the back before they took off down the street.

"So, what'd you get, Sam?" asked Dean as he steered around a corner onto one of the main streets in town.

Sam shuffled through his papers as he tried to gather his thoughts and then began. "Well, let's see…Vinny Delfingo lived in Las Vegas up until 1963 with his wife Rose. He worked for one of the casinos as security-"

"Yeah right. If that's not a cover for 'hired gun' I don't know what is," mumbled Dean.

Sam and Bobby both nodded absently at the comment. "So, in 1962, it seems that the casino came under investigation for the possibility of money laundering for the mob. The owner at the time was a…Anthony Tessio, a.k.a. Tony the Knife."

He handed a copy of an article with a picture of Anthony to Bobby, and Dean glanced over to get a look at the guy. Pretty average looking. Dark hair, dark eyes, broad face. Nothing that screamed mob boss per se.

"He, plus some others that were involved with the casino were up on charges including money laundering, extortion, and possible murder."

Bobby just shook his head. "Sounds like some real nice folks."

Dean pulled the car into a parking lot outside of a storage facility and turned off the car.

"Yeah, don't they," Sam said dryly. "Well, the lead witness for the defense was a guy called, Virgil Hagen."

Sam handed another article to Dean who took it. The headline read, '_Lead witness in Tessio trial goes missing._' There was a photo of a slight faced man with large glasses and a receding hairline next to the article.

"Evidently, he was an accountant for the casino at the time before he decided to rat out his boss to the government. It's reported that supposedly he traded his testimony for a spot in the witness protection program, but before he could testify…he disappeared. That was in 1963."

"Man, Tony shoulda let me pop that stool pigeon years ago," Dean said softly as he continued to look at the photo of Virgil. He wondered what had happened to the guy. He wondered if he really had been killed, or if he had just gotten cold feet about testifying and took off. "So, do we think this guy, Vinny, is our ghost?" Dean asked and looked up at Sam.

Sam was just staring at him with a slight look of fear in his eyes. He then looked at Bobby and noticed the older hunter was just staring at him too. "What?"

Bobby and Sam exchanged a worried look and Dean shifted uncomfortably thinking that he must have missed something. "What'd I do?" he asked as he looked between Bobby and Sam again finally resting his eyes on Sam.

"Do you realize what you just said?' asked Sam a little hesitantly.

Dean shifted again as he tried to think what he'd said. "I asked if you thought Vinny was our ghost. So?" His brow furrowed at the frown that appeared on Sam's and Bobby's faces. Now it was Bobby's turn to answer.

"No, before that. You said, 'Tony should have let you pop that stool pigeon years ago.' You don't remember that?"

Dean looked down slightly trying to wrack his mind. Then shook his head. "No." Then it dawned on him and his eyes went wide. "Wait, do you think…that was Vinny?" He looked at Sam who had inadvertently moved as far away from Dean as possible in the backseat the look of fear still clear on his face. "Sam…it's okay. It's still, me. I don't know what that was, but…I would never hurt you. You know that right?" His eyes begged for Sam to see that it was him even though he was a little freaked by it himself.

What if there was still part of the ghost left in him? What if it hadn't left like they had thought? Could he lose control and go back to what he was last week? Could he really hurt Sam again?

Sam studied his brother for a long moment and then relaxed slightly. "Yeah, I know that Dean. It's just…kinda freaky." Sam then reached forward cautiously to take the article from Dean's fingers.

Dean let the paper slide from his grip and tried not to look hurt at his brother's precautions. He then huffed a sigh and ran his hand over his face trying to bring them back on subject. "So, I guess it's safe to say that our ghost is this Vinny guy or at least somebody associated with that case."

Bobby nodded then. "Yeah, and the fact that you evidently called Rose Delfingo last week when you were possessed by the ghost leads to the definite possibility that it is Vinny. Sam, were there any more disappearances or deaths in 1963 that could possibly lead to a ghost in or around that motel in Oklahoma?"

Sam just shook his head. "No, I checked things out and there haven't been any violent deaths or suicides at that motel that could lead to a ghost since it opened. And the earliest death related to the Tessio case was in 1971. So, our ghost is probably Vinny."

Dean and Bobby both nodded and looked out the front window at the building they were sitting in front of.

Sam leaned forward to look at it too. "So where are we again?" he asked as he studied it.

"U-Store-It. The last storage place in the frickin' phone book. This was the only place we haven't looked at yet. All the other places were a bust. We're hoping that this will lead us somewhere, otherwise..." _We're back at square one._

With that they got out and headed towards the office. Sam waited outside by the car figuring that his bruises would probably bring up more questions than they needed. Dean and Bobby entered the little office with a tinkling bell announcing their arrival.

The office was small with a high desk and a little room off the back past the desk. Dean could see a security camera in the far corner of the room and a TV monitor showing several views of the storage facility's corridors.

An older gentleman came out of the back room. His hair, starting to gray at the temples but otherwise black in color, was slicked back and his fit body talked of a man who didn't feel that getting old meant getting lax with exercise. "Can I help you?" he asked as Dean fished the key they had found out of his pocket and laid it on the counter.

"Yeah, we were wondering if you recognized this key. We found it the other day and thought that it might belong to a storage unit at your facility."

The man picked up the key and studied it for a moment. "Yeah, I think it is one of ours. Hold on." He went into the back room and Dean and Bobby could hear him shuffling through some papers. Soon, he returned with a big book and laid it on the desk in front of them. "Yes, let's see. Ah, here we go. Yes, this is one of our keys. May I ask you where you found it?"

Bobby looked at Dean for a moment and Dean decided to tell the tale. "Well, you see…my father passed away recently, and my mother was going through his things and found this key. She didn't even know he had it, and…quite frankly…she got kind of upset about it. I guess she thought it might be something he was trying to keep from her. So she gave the key to me to find out what it belonged too. My uncle here was just helping me figure out what it was."

Bobby just tried to keep a straight face and nod at the appropriate times as Dean worked his magic on the guy. _Damn he's good._

The older man watched Dean as he told the tale not sure whether to believe him or not but thought that he was probably telling the truth. "So, what was your father's name?" he asked.

Dean paused for only a second. "Uh, Vinny. Vinny Delfingo."

The man looked down at his books and then back up at Dean before giving a curt nod. "Well, I guess that's right. Your father did have a unit here. Number 12B. Evidently he's had it since the early sixties. Would you like me to show it to you?"

Dean rocked back on his heels slightly. Hoping that the shock didn't register too much on his face. He couldn't believe it. "Uh, no. If you could just point us in the right direction we can take a look by ourselves if you don't mind."

The man nodded and gave them directions to the unit before handing them back the key.

Dean and Bobby thanked him and headed back outside.

Sam moved towards them when Dean motioned him over. "Did you find something?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Evidently, Vinny had a storage unit here since the early 60s. Unit 12B"

They walked down the row of units looking for the right number. Finally, near the end of the row, they found it and Dean tried the key. The lock snapped open with an audible pop and Dean looked at Sam with a quirked eyebrow. "Yahtzie."

Bobby pulled his gun and Sam and Dean just looked at him. "Just in case."

Sam moved off to the side as Bobby and Dean took positions. With a flick of his wrist Dean rolled the door up and Bobby took aim. After scanning the room, he relaxed realizing there was no one in the unit and stood back.

The unit was full of stuff. Various types of suitcases and bags were lying in piles around the room. A thin sheen of dust covered most of it except for a few bags near the door.

"What is all this?" asked Sam as he looked around.

"Looks like Vinny evidently kept the luggage from the people he took," said Bobby as he looked at a tag on one of the suitcases.

"Sam, look," said Dean.

Sam looked over to see Dean picking up a couple duffel bags.

"Our stuff," said Sam. He strode over to his bag and started looking through it.

Dean poked through his bag for a moment before standing up and looking around again. So they had been here.

"How many times do you think he has done this?" asked Sam with an incredulous tone in his voice.

Bobby just shook his head. "I don't know. But, why would a ghost do this?"

Dean just shook his head as he went over to a bag lying on the floor and crouched down near it. He picked up the tag on it and read the name, James Woods.

Suddenly an image came to him of a man with dark hair and dark eyes starring up at him from where he laid on the floor pleading for his life.

"_Please, please don't do this. I swear, I won't tell anyone."_

Dean dropped the tag and in his haste to get away fell backwards.

"Dean?" Sam asked when he saw his brother had fallen.

Dean's hand brushed another suitcase and he got another flash. This one of a woman, bloody and bruised, tied to a chair. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

"_Please, Ron. I don't understand. What did I do?"_

Dean pulled away grabbing at his head as flashes of people continued to flood his mind.

"Dean, what is it?" asked Sam.

Dean was huddled on the floor holding his head as if he were in pain. The flashes continued.

"_Please, don't kill me." _

"_Why are you doing this?" _

"_No, please, don't kill me."_

Sam grabbed Dean by the shoulders and realized that Dean was shaking. His eyes rolled up in his head. "Dean, please, tell me what's going on?" Sam pleaded with his brother.

Dean continued to shake before finally giving a pain filled cry and going limp in Sam's arms. Sam just sat there not sure what to do. He quickly put two fingers to Dean's throat and could feel the steady beat of his brother's pulse. He looked to Bobby who was standing near by hoping that he would have some answers. Bobby just shook his head.

After a few tense moments Dean finally groaned and his eyes started to flutter open.

"Dean? Dean, are you okay?"

Dean groaned again and his eyes finally opened. He looked around the room as if he didn't know where he was.

"Dean?"

Still Dean didn't answer. Finally his eyes rested on Sam and then Bobby. "What happened?" he asked as he tried to pull away from Sam. Sam helped him get to his feet and steadied his brother when he swayed slightly.

"Easy. We were hoping you could tell us," said Sam with a questioning look. Dean looked slightly pale and he had a confused look on his face.

"I don't know. I was just looking at the name tag on one of the bags and then…I don't know." He shook his head slightly and winced as his head began to throb.

Sam and Bobby just stared at him trying to gauge if he really was okay.

"You sure?" asked Bobby. "Cause it looked like it might be something important."

Dean gave an impatient sight. "I don't know, okay? I don't remember." He sat down on one of the suitcases and put his hand to his throbbing forehead. "Did I really pass out?" he asked looking to both of them.

Both Sam and Bobby nodded.

"Yeah, man, you were shaking and holding your head. You even cried out," said Sam as he watched Dean rub his head.

"Oh, man. Well that's just great," mumbled Dean and Sam just had to shake his head.

"You sure you're okay?" asked Bobby.

"Yes, already. I'm fine. Just don't ask me how my pride is right now."

Bobby and Sam both chuckled slightly at that.

"Okay. Well, why don't we get out of here and see if we can track this ghost, Vinny, down and salt and burn his ass before he does any more harm," said Bobby.

Dean nodded and then winced slightly when he got up. "Do you think we should take down some of these names on these suitcases?" he asked as he looked back at the room full of luggage. "I mean. If they were victims, maybe we can track some of them down. Maybe figure out why they're picked."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, could give us some clues. Okay, I'll see if I can get some of them written down."

Dean nodded and moved slowly towards the entrance.

"Hey, where you going?" asked Bobby as he eyed Dean.

Dean stopped and turned to look at Bobby. "I just need some fresh air. Clear the head a little."

"Okay, why don't I come with you. Make sure you're okay."

"Nah, I'm fine. Just stay here with Sam okay? Keep an eye on him. You know how he can get when he starts to do research." Dean smiled slightly at Sam's indignant glare. "I'll just be right outside."

Bobby looked Dean over once and then nodded. "Okay. Hurry back." He then turned to help Sam with the bags. He no more than turned his back and he could hear the door start to grind shut behind him.

He spun to see Dean closing it with a grin plastered on his face. "Dean?"

He knew he wouldn't make it but ran for the door. It slammed closed and he beat his fist against it as he heard the look snick closed. "Dean!"

"Sorry, buddy, but Dean's not here anymore."

Bobby looked back at Sam who stood there with a stunned look on his face. Bobby turned back to the door. "Vinny?"

"Ding, ding, ding. Give the man a prize. Sorry I gotta do this, but I got some unfinished business to take care of," Dean said through the door.

"What do you mean?" asked Sam as he came closer to the door.

"Let's just say, I gotta take care of a certain stool pigeon that got away from me."

"Virgil? I thought he was dead," said Sam trying to keep Dean talking as Bobby tried to figure out a way to get out of there.

"Nah. He's not dead. That rat is the reason I can't move on. He got the drop on me, and now I gotta find him so I can rest in peace if you catch my drift."

"Dean, please, don't do this. We can help you," said Sam.

Dean chuckled slightly. "Sorry, kid, like I said. Dean isn't here anymore, and I don't play well with others. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a guy to find."

"Dean? Vinny?" Sam asked as he looked at the door. There was no answer. "Damn it!" He pounded a fist against the door in frustration then turned to Bobby. "Now what?"

A/N: Hope you liked it. Please send me a review if you did. Or if you didn't. Let me know.


	8. Chapter 8

TRUST

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Same as before. I don't anything.

A/N: (Tap, tap, tap) Anybody out there? Sorry this took so long. Stupid writer's block. As for all of you who have reviewed? Thanks so much. And to those that I haven't responded to, do know that I appreciate your words. Anyway, on with the story.

Also, in case you don't remember Vinny Delfingo is the ghost that has possessed Dean and Virgil Hagen is the guy he was sent to kill.

Sal saw the young man from before walk back to his car and get in. He thought it a little peculiar the way he kept looking around as if he was looking for something before finally starting the car and speeding out of the lot.

As he watched the black car speed away he wondered where the other two were that were with him earlier. Maybe the guy went to get something and would be back later. Sal just shrugged it off and went back to reading his book.

Bobby pounded on the metal door making it echo in the small space hoping that someone would hear it and come to investigate. He banged it a couple more times before finally giving up and stepping back. He then kicked the door in frustration and sighed. "Sam? Did you find anything?"

He turned around hoping that Sam had found something within the storage until that could help them get out, but when he turned around, he felt his heart sink. The young hunter was just sitting on one of the suitcases with a dejected look on his face. He held a nametag badge from one of the suitcases and was turning it over and over absent-mindedly. "Sam?"

Sam reluctantly looked up before returning his gaze to the tag. He just shook his head. "I should have known," he said quietly with guilt evident in his voice.

Bobby frowned in confusion. "Known what?"

"That he wasn't, Dean," Sam said flatly before flinging the nametag away.

Bobby just shook his head. "Sam, you couldn't have known-"

"Couldn't I?" asked Sam abruptly looking Bobby straight in the eyes. "I mean…I spent a week with him when he was…" Sam looked away unable to finish that thought. "Besides, he's my brother. I should've _known_ something was wrong." Sam's jaw clenched as he tried to keep his anger under control and he looked back down at the floor in shame.

"Are you finished?" Bobby asked after a while.

Sam looked up at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"I was just wondering if you were finished beating yourself up over something that _wasn't_ your fault, or if you were just getting' warmed up." Bobby just stared at Sam with his arms crossed as he waited for an answer.

Sam looked down at his hands a little ashamed. "Bobby, I-"

Bobby then nodded. "Good. Now that that is over with…Why don't we see if we can get the hell out of here before that brother of yours does something stupid. I don't know about you, but I _personally_ would like to kick his ass for letting himself get possessed in the first place." Bobby then turned back to the door and begun studying it a little more closely for some way out.

Sam just stared at Bobby for a second before shaking his head incredulously. A small smile crept over his face in appreciation. Only Bobby would come up with a way to get Sam back on task without making a big deal of it. He finally got up and started to look around the room for some kind of clue as the where Dean might have gone.

As Vinny passed the state border he gave a slight sigh of relief. He knew Sam and Bobby would probably come after him sooner or later, but at least he had a head start. He just hoped that he would have enough time to take care of his business before they found him.

He turned on the radio and winced as the blaring sound of Metallica's "Sandman" blasted from the speakers. He quickly ejected the tape with a sound of disgust. "Ugh. How can he _stand_ to listen to that stuff," he muttered as he turned the dial to find a decent radio station. Soon he found some classic opera and sat back to listen. "Ah, much better."

He could feel Dean squirm at his choice of music and couldn't help but smile at the disgust radiating from the boy's soul.

When he had first possessed Dean, that night in the motel room, he had thought that he was going to be doomed to live his last moments once again before being pulled back to that stupid motel room to do it all over again. But after a while, he could tell that Dean and his brother were different. As the week progressed he had realized that this could be his chance to finish things once and for all. So when the time came, instead of finishing the job, he decided to lay low.

He had watched from deep inside Dean as they figured out what had happened and took action to try and fix it. He had let slip a few memories to make Dean really squirm at what he had done and had almost lost it when he realized that Dean knew where Virgil was. When Dean had looked at that news article about Virgil's disappearance, he had recognized him as the owner of the motel. Thankfully, Vinny was able to keep that information from the other two by taking over for just a moment. He had relished in the fear that had passed across Sam's face when he realized that something might be wrong. Vinny couldn't believe how quickly Dean's brother brushed it off though. He was sure that at some point they would figure it out and tie Dean up, but that never happened.

And now, here he was in control again. And Dean's soul was buried deep inside himself where he couldn't cause any damage.

Vinny glanced in the rearview mirror to see Dean's angry green eyes stare back at him and chuckled softly. "Oh, don't worry, Dean. It's not that bad. In fact…I might broaden your interests before I'm done with you."

_Dean rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea. "Yeah, right. The only thing you're gonna make me do is yack if you continue playing this crap. I mean at least play something that you don't need an interpreter to understand," said Dean as he fought to regain control of his body. _

Vinny just laughed and shook his head. "You know if you keep fighting me you're just going to wear yourself out. And trust me…that's not something you want to do."

_Dean just fought harder. "Yeah, well. I've never been one to give up without a fight and I don't plan to start now." _

Vinny just shrugged. "Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you. Besides…what makes you think you can win? I had control of your body for a week before and you couldn't stop me. What makes you think you could gain control now? If I were you, I'd just sit back and relax. As soon as I finish my business with Virgil it'll be all over."

Vinny looked at the hateful eyes starring back at him from the rearview mirror again and just smiled. He knew that Dean would never give up, but he loved taunting him anyway.

He reached over and turned the music up as the opera reached its crescendo making Dean groan and he smiled as the Impala carried him closer to his target.

"May I speak to a Detective Smith? Yes, my name is Detective James and I was calling to ask you a few questions about a case you had a couple months ago? Two missing brothers," Sam said into the phone as Bobby drove down the highway. Sam checked his notes. "Uh, yeah, the names were John and Daniel Hecht…Sure, I can hold."

After finding no way out of the storage unit, they had finally decided to call information for the number to the storage place. Bobby smiled slightly at the shocked looked on the owner's face when he had come to open the unit and found the two men locked inside. He had apologized profusely and they had tried to reassure him that they were okay.

Once out of the storage unit, they still didn't know where Dean was going and figured a little research was in order. They quickly hit the library and as Bobby looked up information on the names of the people that the suitcases belonged to, Sam used his computer skills to activate the GPS in Dean's cell phone. With as many times as both of them had gotten separated, Sam had decided it was worth the money to get the technology to be able to track his brother no matter where he went. As soon as they were done, they hit the road."

"Yes, I'm still here." Sam listened for a while. "Really? Did he say what happened? He couldn't remember." Sam looked at Bobby with a knowing look. "Was his brother ever found? No. Well that's too bad."

Sam frowned and wrote something down in his notebook and then stopped. "Uh, why? Well, we've had a recent case that has similarities to yours and several other cases, and we were just doing some more investigation to see if there was something more to it." Sam hated lying to the police, but if he was honest with himself it wasn't all a lie. He listened a bit more and then nodded at the phone. "Yes, sir. If we find anything, I'll let you know. Thank you once again. Goodbye." Sam finally hung up and sighed in relief.

"So?" asked Bobby as he glanced towards Sam.

"So, it seems to fit the profile for our ghost. The older brother, John, was found a week later; but he couldn't remember what had happened. Evidently the younger brother was never found," Sam said as he studied his notes some more.

"So that makes, what…fourteen disappearances in forty years? Is there any set pattern to why those people?" asked Bobby.

Sam just shook his head in frustration as he continued to look at his notes. "No, it just doesn't make sense. They're all different ages. Some of them are related, others are couples…there isn't even a set pattern for the amount of time in between each disappearance." Sam pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache started to form behind his eyes. "It's just like he chose them at random." He winced as a sharp pain shot through his eye and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Bobby glanced quickly at Sam and then back to the road. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out. Maybe-" He stopped when he heard Sam inhale sharply. He looked over at Sam and saw him bent over grasping at his head. "Sam?" he asked worriedly.

"Ah, God…Bobby." Sam's right hand shot out to grasp the dashboard in a white-knuckle grip as his left continued to hold his head.

"Oh, shit," Bobby swore as he realized what was happening and quickly pulled the truck off to the side of the road.

Sam looked up at the road in front of him, but didn't see the highway as the vision overtook him.

_A mousy looking little man with big glasses was tied to a chair and whimpering in pain. "Please, don't kill me. I swear, I've never said anything. I didn't know what would happen. Please, just let me go," he pleaded as he looked at someone sitting in the far corner._

_The man was sitting in the shadows and Sam couldn't make out his face. "Yeah, well, Virgil. Frankly, I don't care what you want."_

_Sam's heart rate increased as he realized he recognized that voice. A moment later the man stood up and confirmed Sam's suspicions. It was Dean. He walked towards Virgil holding his pistol by his side._

_Dean stood over Virgil's whimpering form and the man cowered away from him. "Please, Vinny. Don't do this," Virgil cried._

_Dean just shook his head and raised his gun to Virgil's head. "Sorry, but I gotta." He then pulled the trigger._

"No! Dean!" Sam yelled as the vision ended and then he screwed his eyes shut in pain.

"You saw him?" asked Bobby.

Sam startled and turned to look at Bobby in the driver's seat and then groaned in pain as the oncoming migraine made his vision dance and twirl. Bobby had a worried look on his face and laid a hand on Sam's shoulder to steady him.

"You okay?"

Sam closed his eyes against the pain and dizziness. He breathed deeply trying to get control as his aching head throbbed in time to his heart. Finally, Sam nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said softly as he kneaded his knuckles across his forehead trying to relieve some of the pain.

Bobby just snorted slightly. "Yeah, right." Sam could hear him rummaging around for something and he opened his eyes in time to see Bobby produce two painkillers and a bottle of water. "Here, take these. They should help."

Sam smiled slightly in appreciation and downed the pills in one gulp. "Thanks, Bobby."

"So you had a vision?" asked Bobby. He knew that Sam had visions, but he had never seen him have one before and he wasn't quite sure what to think about it.

Sam nodded again as he rubbed his right temple. "Yeah. It was about, Dean. Bobby, we gotta find him."

"Did you see where he was?"

Sam nodded again as he went over the details of his vision again in his mind. "Yeah, I think I know where he is. I think he's in Oklahoma."

Bobby's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oklahoma. Why would he go there?"

"Not, Dean. Vinny, I think he's got unfinished business and he's trying to finish it. He's after, Virgil, the guy he was sent to kill. I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn't place him until now. He owns the motel we stayed in. That's where it all started."

Bobby just blinked a few times trying to process what Sam was saying. "How do you know it was _that_ motel?"

Sam sighed and dropped his hand to his side before answering. "Because I recognized the hideous décor of the room we were in." He chanced a glance at Bobby and then smiled slightly at Bobby's expression. "Trust me. You'll believe me when you see it." He then closed his eyes again and leaned his head against the window.

"So where we going?" asked Bobby as he started the truck again and headed out on the road. They were about a hundred miles from the New Mexico border.

"Altus, Oklahoma. It's close to Wichita Falls, TX," said Sam.

Bobby just nodded and gunned the engine a little more. He knew that if Sam had had a vision about his brother, then it couldn't be good. He just hoped that they would make it in time.

Virgil Hagen, known now as, David Sanders, sat in the back room of the office of The Wandering Coyote motel doing bookwork. Though he knew it sounded crazy, he always found it kind of soothing doing the books for the motel. He had never been that great at dealing with other people and found that if he had a choice, he'd rather work with numbers than with the public. But I guess there is always something that you don't like about your job.

Tonight was supposed to be his night off, but the girl who was supposed to work had called in sick. So here he was. It had been rather quiet and the motel had very few people staying there so he didn't mind subbing for the girl. Of course, it was the middle of the week and business usually picked up on the weekends. Hopefully, she would be better by then.

The bell for the front door rang and Virgil looked up from his books to see a young man come in the door. Virgil sighed and put down his pencil. "_Great. Another customer,"_ he thought glumly and then chastised himself for the thought. At least it was more money coming in. He walked slowly to the front and gave the man a fake smile. "Yes, sir. May I help you?" he asked cheerfully.

The man gave a nod as he looked around the office before he turned his gaze back to Virgil. "Yes, I was needing a room?"

Virgil shivered slightly as he looked into the man's cold eyes and his smile wavered slightly. "Uh, yes. A single?" Virgil turned around to grab a key from the wrack behind him.

"No, a double," he said flatly.

Virgil turned slightly to look at the man and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something wasn't right but he nodded anyway and retrieved the key. "Okay. If you could fill out this form, I'll get you all set up."

The young man nodded and set to work on the form. Virgil studied him for a moment trying to figure out why he felt so tense around him. He didn't seem like a bad guy. He was about six-foot with dark blond hair and a muscular build. Not bulky, but definitely in good shape. His outward appearance didn't set off any warning bells…but those eyes.

The young man finished filling out the form and Virgil took it from him. As he studied the name a frown formed on his face. "Wait. This can't be right." Suddenly things clicked into place and Virgil looked up with fear in his eyes.

"It can't be," he whispered as he took a step back. The young man just stood there with those cold eyes. "Vinny?"

The young man gave an evil smile and brought a gun into view just over the edge of the counter. "Hello, Virgil. Long time, no see."

Virgil dropped the registration form and it fluttered to the ground. When it landed at his feet, the name Vinny Delfingo was visible at the top.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter. I would love to hear what you think about it. So…review…please. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

TRUST

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Same as before. I don't own anything.

A/N: (Tap, tap, tap) Anybody out there? Sorry this took so long. I didn't realize it had been so long since I had posted last for this story. As for all of you who have reviewed? Thanks so much. And to those that I haven't responded to, do know that I appreciate your words. I'm trying to be better about that this year. Anyway, on with the story.

Also, in case you don't remember. Vinny Delfingo is the ghost that has possessed Dean, Virgil Hagen is the guy he was sent to kill, and Anthony Tessio a.k.a. Tony the Knife is the mob boss who sent Vinny to kill Virgil.

Dean just wanted it all to stop.

He fought with everything he had to break free. He kicked and pounded his fists against the walls of his internal prison. He threw threats to finish Vinny when he got out of here. Hell, he even tried to meditate hoping that if he concentrated hard enough that he might be able to gain control of his body again.

But he was still stuck and Vinny still had control.

He panted from the exertion knowing that he really didn't need the air, but it still seemed like the thing to do. He just had to think of another way to get the hell out of his head. He didn't remember much of the last time Vinny had possessed him, but the longer he was here the more he remembered. It didn't help matters that Vinny evidently loved what he did.

Dean had watched as Vinny had blindsided Virgil in the office and dragged him to the hideous motel room this all began in. Dean cringed when he realized that this was the room they had stayed in…was it only a week and a half ago? It seemed like so much had happened since then.

As he watched Vinny start to torture Virgil through his own eyes, he began to curse and fought against his invisible prison even harder. But the worst part was the remembering.

Vinny took great pride in his work and seemed to be enjoying torturing both of his prisoners. Virgil physically, and Dean mentally with memories of previous times that he had tortured people.

Sam was the center of this macrabe; Technicolor nightmare that Dean found himself stuck in. Everywhere Dean turned there was another person being tortured their screams and pleas for helping resonating through his mind.

Dean watched in horror as Vinny remembered torturing Sam. His brother's cries cut through Dean like a knife.

"_Dean, please, stop. Why are you doing this? Please, what did I do?"_

More cries of pain filled the empty space until Dean thought he might go insane.

"Stop."

He put his hands to his ears trying to block the screams and whimpers of pain.

"Stop!"

He fell to his knees and closed his eyes against the images that played out all around him.

"Please," he whimpered as he curled in on himself as guilt and helplessness consumed him.

He could still hear their cries. Sam's the loudest of all, and anger at himself for letting this happen boiled over. Fire burned in his eyes as he threw back his head and growled. "STOP!"

"Stop. Please," Virgil whimpered softly as he tried to look up at the young man before him.

Dean, possessed by Vinny, hit him again and his head rocked harshly to the side. Blood dripped from his lip and his vision blurred slightly from the continuous beatings. "Vinny, please, I'm sorry."

Vinny laughed harshly as he looked down at the broken and bleeding man tied to the chair in front of him. "You're _sorry_? For what? Stealing the money from Tony, or for _killing_ me?" Vinny hit him again and then stood back as Virgil gasped for air.

Virgil coughed slightly and then shook his head. "You were…going to…kill me. I had…no choice."

Vinny circled around Virgil admiring the damage that he had inflicted, but he knew he needed to wrap this up soon. Sooner or later Dean's kid brother would catch up to him and he wanted this over with before that happened. "Yeah, well, you were right. Still…"

He circled back in front of Virgil and then pulled out Dean's favorite hunting knife letting the light glint off its edge. He smiled as Virgil's breathing quickened. "Now. Tell me where it is, or I'll cut off one of your fingers."

Virgil's eyes widened slightly and his eyes followed the blade with intensity born out of fear. "Tell-tell you what?" he asked.

Vinny just tsked and shook his head. "Oh, Virgil. Don't play games with me. You know what I want."

Virgil shook his head desperately. "No. No, I don't."

Vinny moved closer and played the knife along Virgil's pale face. "The money, Virgil. Tell me…where…the money is."

Virgil swallowed hard a couple times never taking his eyes off the wicked looking knife. And then it dawned on him. He then looked at Vinny with confusion. "You mean the money I stole from Tony?"

Vinny smiled cruelly and let the knife cut Virgil's cheek slightly. "Yes, the money that you stole," he said calmly. "Just tell me where it is and I'll let you go."

Virgil knew that it was a lie, but he had to hope that maybe there was some way out of this. "You mean…all this is about some _money_ that I stole over forty years ago?" he asked a little incredulously.

Vinny eyes grew hard as he stared at Virgil. "Unfinished business, Virgil. Now…where is it?" he moved the blade below Virgil's chin and lifted it slightly forcing Virgil to raise his chin too.

Virgil closed his eyes in fear and inhaled sharply before speaking. "Gone," he whispered. He opened his eyes to look into the boy's shocked green eyes. "It's all gone."

Vinny just stood there for a moment. "You're lying," He said in slight awe not sure what to believe.

Virgil shook his head slightly still aware of the tip of the knife pressing against his throat. "No, I'm not. I used it to buy this motel and to create a new life. There's nothing left."

Vinny let the blade lower slightly as he stared at Virgil in disbelief. He had thought for sure that if he had found the money that it would be over. He would be free. But if it was gone…Anger flared in him and with a cry of frustration he hit Virgil with a powerful right hook. The blow caused the chair to topple over and Virgil was knocked unconscious. "NO!" Vinny shouted in frustration. It couldn't be gone. If it was gone, then what was holding him here?

He searched through Dean's memories for some explanation. Some clue as to what he was supposed to do. Finally, he came upon a thought and knew exactly what he needed to do.

Sam watched as the green sign they passed said that it was 60 miles to Altus. His leg bounced with nervous energy as he wished for the millionth time that they could get there quicker. They had made really good time, but he still felt like they needed to go faster.

"Bobby-"

"No, Sam, I can't go any faster," Bobby said tiredly as he continued to stared out the windshield as if he had been expecting the question. "I'm already going 80. If we go any faster, we risk being pulled over by the cops; and then we'll never get to Dean in time."

Sam sighed in frustration and rubbed his eyes. "I know. I know. It's just…I feel like something really bad is going to happen." He let his hand drop to his lap and clenched his jaw in determination. "I can't lose him, Bobby. Not after everything that has happened."

Bobby glanced over at Sam and sighed. "I know, Sam. I know." He was silent for a moment and then pressed down on the gas a little harder.

Virgil began to wake up and winced as the aches and pains in his body made themselves known. He groaned slightly and tried to raise his head to look around the room not exactly sure where he was. He squinted against the bright lights that reflected off the hideous wallpaper and then everything started to come back to him. His breathing quickened as he started to frantically look around for Vinny.

His eyes landed on the shadowy figure sitting in the corner and his heartbeat increased with his fear.

"Please, don't kill me. I didn't know what would happen. Please, just let me go," he pleaded.

Vinny sat there for a moment studying the pleading man before him. "Yeah, well, Virgil. Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass what you want."

Virgil heard a scrape, like something being drug along the tabletop, and then the young man he knew was possessed by Vinny's ghost was standing. The shadows seemed to melt away as Vinny stepped closer and Virgil's eyes widened in fear as he took in the gun in Vinny's hand.

Virgil whimpered and tears formed in his eyes. "Please, Vinny. Don't do this," Virgil cried.

Vinny just shook his head and raised his gun to Virgil's head with a steady hand. "Sorry, but I gotta." He then pulled the trigger.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffie, but this chapter was getting kind of long and this seemed like a good stopping point. Don't worry. I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. So…please read and review this one and tell me what you think. Reviews are like chocolate. You can never have enough.


	10. Chapter 10

TRUST

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Same as before. I don't own anything.

A/N: Hey guys. Thank you sooo much for all the great reviews. I love hearing your comments. Also, thanks to all of you out there who have stuck with this story through all the REALLY long wait times between updates. You guys rock.

Also, in case you don't remember. Vinny Delfingo is the ghost that has possessed Dean, Virgil Hagen is the guy he was sent to kill, and Anthony Tessio a.k.a. Tony the Knife is the mob boss who sent Vinny to kill Virgil.

Sam and Bobby pulled up outside The Wandering Coyote Motel, and before they were even completely stopped Sam was jumping out of the passenger seat. He quickly ran to the front office and noticed that nobody was there.

Opening the door, a tinkling bell announced his entrance. "Hello?" he called out with desperation in his voice. He pounded on the desk bell hoping that someone would hear him, but nobody came. He was just about to leave when he noticed a piece of paper and a room key lying on the floor just behind the front desk.

He quickly hurried around behind the desk to see what it was. As he bent down to pick up the stuff he heard the bell above the door tinkle and then Bobby's gruff voice.

"Sam?"

Sam quickly stood up holding the paper and key. "Yeah." He studied the paper and his face went white. He quickly looked behind him to the row of keys and then took off for the door.

Bobby followed him in confusion. "Sam?"

Sam's long legs quickly ate up the distance and Bobby almost had to run to keep up with him. Bobby knew something was wrong when Sam pulled his gun from his waistband and came to a halt outside one of the motel rooms. "He's here," Sam whispered and Bobby nodded in understanding.

Suddenly a gunshot was heard from the other side of the door and a cry of pain.

"Dean?" Sam yelled and without any more hesitation he kicked in the door.

Everything seemed to happen so fast. At first, Bobby wasn't sure what he was looking at. The door flew open and Sam entered with his gun raised. Bobby following quickly behind. He searched the room trying to assess what danger there was, and then he saw them. A man tied to a chair in the middle of the room covered in blood, and then he saw Dean with his gun still pointing at the man's head. Bobby raised his gun aiming at Dean not exactly sure what to do next.

"Dean?" Sam asked hesitantly never letting his aim waiver from his brother.

Dean stood stock-still gun pointing at the man in front of him who, Sam could see, appeared to slowly be bleeding to death.

"Vinny?" Sam asked again and finally Dean looked at him. His eyes were slightly glazed and he moved with rather jerky movements. "Put the gun down," Sam hissed as he moved slightly closer to Dean yet never letting down his guard.

Dean stared at Sam for a moment before fire sparked in his eyes again and he turned back to the man they knew had to be Virgil. "Not until he's dead," he said harshly and then cocked the gun again.

Sam looked at Virgil and was surprised by what he saw. He was tied to a chair and was beaten pretty badly, but the worst was that he had a long gash across his forehead and temple that were bleeding horribly apparently where the bullet had grazed him. His head was rolled back and Sam could tell that he was barely hanging on.

Sam looked between his brother and the dying man not knowing what to do. Dean gritted his teeth and Sam knew what was going to happen. "Wait! Wait. You don't have to do this."

Vinny stopped and looked at Sam. "Yes. I do. It's the only way this will stop." He looked at Sam with those expressive eyes of Dean's and Sam could see the desperation there.

"What will stop? You having to repeat this?" asked trying to make sure that he understood.

Vinny just nodded and turned back to Virgil whose gasps for air were getting more and more infrequent.

"There is another way," Sam said.

Vinny then turned back to him with confusion and wariness in his eyes.

"We can give you last rights. Put your soul to rest." Sam slowly lowered his gun and held his hands out to his sides in a non-threatening manner. "This could be over."

Bobby's gaze flitted between Sam and Dean and the dying man as he tried to figure out if Sam's ploy was going to work. He really didn't want to shoot Dean, but if it came down to it he would.

Vinny just stared at Sam for a moment longer and then finally nodded. "Okay." He lowered the gun and stepped away.

Taken by surprise, Sam stood there dumbfounded for a moment before quickly going to see if he could help Virgil. He assessed the damage and grimaced in concern. The gash in his head was deep and blood poured from the wound. Sam quickly grabbed some towels from the bathroom to help stop the flow of blood. Bobby continued to watch what was happening with his gun at the ready still not sure whether to trust the possessed Dean or not.

"Bobby, can you perform the last rites?" Sam asked never looking away from Virgil as he continued to try and stop the bleeding.

"Sam, I-" Bobby hesitated not wanting to leave the boy alone especially when Dean was not himself.

"Bobby, please." Sam then looked at Bobby with those big puppy dog eyes pleading and Bobby knew he couldn't resist.

Bobby finally nodded and then looked at Dean one last time. The young man had pulled away from Sam and was leaning against the wall with his gun still in hand ready if need be at a moment's notice.

The way he held himself and the way he stared at Sam with an intense gaze sent shivers down Bobby's spine. It reminded him so much of Dean when he was in protective mode that it was uncanny. Bobby swallowed nervously and then went to his truck to get the supplies he would need.

Sam checked Virgil's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was there. Faintly, but still there. He pulled the towel away so that he could get a better look at the damage and winced in sympathy. He knew it would need stitches, and as much as it was bleeding he would probably need some blood too.

Bobby returned with the first aid kit, a bible, some holy water, and a censor. "How's he doing?" he asked as he set the kit down beside Sam.

Sam looked at him with frightened eyes. "Not good." He didn't say anymore but his eyes traveled to Dean before he began to open the first aid kit.

Bobby nodded and then turned to the young man standing against the wall. "You ready?" he asked.

Dean pushed away from the wall to stand at a relaxed attention in front of him and Bobby quickly lit the incense in the censor before taking a steadying breath.

"Oh, Holy Host above. I call upon you to sanctify our actions this day…" Bobby continued the blessing as he swung the censor and then motioned for Dean to kneel in front of him. "I call upon the Archangel Raphael, master of the air, to make open the way…"

Sam watched with baited breath as Bobby made the sign of the cross on Dean's forehead with Holy Water and then continued. "Let this being be awakened to the world beyond."

A brilliant light filled the room making Sam and Bobby squint against it and then just as suddenly it was gone. Dean was motionless for a moment kneeling in front of Bobby before he swayed slightly.

"Dean?" Bobby asked hesitantly not sure if the ritual had worked.

Dean blinked slightly glazed eyes a few times and then focused on Bobby's face. "Bobby?" he asked with confusion in his voice and then promptly collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Dean!" Sam yelled in concern wishing that he could go to his brother.

Bobby knelt beside the young man and checked his pulse and breathing before sighing in relief. "He's okay. He just passed out."

Sam sighed in relief feeling some of the tension leave his body. He then got back to the business of helping the injured man in front of him. "Bobby, we gotta take him to a hospital." He motioned to Virgil and Bobby nodded.

"I'll take him. Make sure he gets help. You take care of Dean."

Sam smiled hesitantly in thanks and then helped Bobby untie Virgil and get him to his truck. As Bobby drove away, Sam came back into the room to check on Dean. He was still out and Sam sighed heavily before hauling his brother to the closest bed. By the time he was done and Dean was lying comfortably on the bed, Sam was breathing heavily. "Dude, you _so_ need to go on a diet," he joked knowing that he wouldn't get a response.

He looked at Dean and ran a hand through his short hair. He looked so young, his face free of the wary vigilance that always seemed present when Dean was awake. A sort of child-like innocence that he had lost long ago. Even when he slept, Dean never completely let down his guard. Yet, Sam knew that his brother wasn't sleeping. If he were just sleeping, Sam would've never been able to get this close without Dean knowing about it.

After checking to see if Dean had any injuries and removing his brother's shoes, Sam sighed in relief and sank down on the bed opposite him. He put his head in his hands suddenly feeling extremely tired and wanting nothing more than to sleep. But he couldn't. Not quite yet. He rubbed his hand across his face and looked again at his brother. "_Now I guess I just wait," _he thought.

Sam had been waiting several hours for Dean to wake up and he was starting to get a little worried that he hadn't even so much as twitched a muscle. The longer he waited the more nervous he became that something was wrong.

_No, his body's probably just tired from the long-term possession. He'll be fine._

Sam sat at the little table in the room staring at his brother and trying not to look around the room. He had forgotten how hideous it looked and if he accidentally looked at the wallpaper too long he got a headache. Finally, unable to take the silence any longer he grabbed his phone and stepped outside.

The cool air felt great against his skin and he took in a deep breath trying to relieve some of his nervous energy. He looked around the motel parking lot and noticed the Impala sitting near the office and his heart gave a slightly giddy leap of joy at the sight. He hadn't even seen it when they first arrived. _I guess I was a little preoccupied._

Looking down at his phone he quickly hit speed-dial and waited for Bobby to pick up.

"_Hello?_" Bobby's gruff voice rumbled through the line.

"Bobby, how are things going?" Sam asked as he walked towards the Impala.

"_I haven't heard much. Of course they won't tell me anything because I'm not family. How's Dean?_"

Sam grimaced slightly. "The same. He hasn't even moved since you left." He reached the car and started looking it over. If there was so much as a scratch, Dean would be pissed and Sam wanted to make sure that nothing had happened to it since Dean couldn't right now.

"_Do you think something else might be going on?_" asked Bobby picking up on Sam's worried thoughts.

Sam shrugged knowing that Bobby couldn't see. "I don't know. I mean…he might just be tired after the whole…possession thing." He circled the car running his hands over the cool black metal taking comfort in its solid exterior. "I just wish he'd wake up you know," he said kind of sadly as he stopped at the passenger side door. Suddenly missing his brother greatly. He knew it was stupid, but seeing the Impala and not having Dean mooning over it sent a pang of regret through Sam's heart.

Bobby was silent for a moment. "_I'm gonna come back to the motel. There's nothing more I can do here; maybe we can do a cleansing ritual or something. Make sure that there isn't anything else there that might be screwing with Dean._"

Sam sighed in relief and leaned back against the Impala. "Thanks, Bobby."

"_No problem, Sam. Now don't worry so much. You're brother will be fine._" With that Bobby hung up and Sam clicked his phone shut.

After collecting himself for a moment longer, Sam continued his circuit around the Impala and then tried the driver's side door. His eyebrows raised in surprise when the door popped open. He quickly leaned inside to inspect the interior and found the keys hanging in the ignition. "Oh, Vinny, be glad you're gone because Dean would _definitely_ be pissed with you." With a slight smile at the thought of what Dean would have done to Vinny spirits Sam took the keys and then locked the car. He got a few things from the trunk and then headed back to the room.

As soon as he pushed the door open, Sam knew something was wrong. For starters, Dean was nowhere to be found. A shiver went down Sam's spine and he cautiously put down his supplies beside the door before taking out his gun. He moved slowly into the room not sure what to expect. The bathroom door was open so Dean couldn't be in there, but where was he.

"Dean?" he called out hesitantly.

There was no response and Sam swallowed down his fear before quickly scanning the room for any kind of threat. As he looked behind the broken front door he heard a small sound from the other side of the room. He swung swiftly in that direction, gun in front of him, and looked for the source of the sound. As he got closer, he caught a glimpse of Dean and quickly lowered his gun.

"Dean?" he asked softly as he approached his brother. Dean was huddled in the corner with his knees pulled up tightly against his chest and his face buried in his arms. He was rocking slightly and Sam wasn't sure…Was Dean crying?

Sam knelt down in front of Dean slowly not wanting to scare him and tentatively reached out a hand. When he touched Dean's arm, Dean jerked away and tried to pull even further back into the corner.

"No, please," Dean pleaded his voice muffled against his arms. "No more. Please, no more."

Sam's heart broke to hear the pain in Dean's voice and he had to swallow hard against the lump in his throat. "Dean, it's me, Sam," he said quietly not wanting to frighten his brother any more than he already was.

Dean stopped rocking and finally after what seemed like forever to Sam peeked his head up above his arms. "Sam?" he asked his voice quavering in disbelief.

Sam smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, Dean, it's me."

Dean just looked at him. His eyes barely visible above his arms and then he seemed to retreat even more. "No, you can't be here. I failed. It's my fault. _My fault_." He buried his head in his arms again and started to rock back and forth with more intensity.

"No, Dean, it's not you're fault. It was, Vinny. Not you." Sam reached out to Dean again and he recoiled even more.

Dean shook his head. "No, no, NO!" He pushed Sam away and then began to scramble over the bed to get away.

Sam fell back in disbelief and watched his brother scramble across the bed like a scared animal. Once on the other side, Dean just stood there breathing heavily as his eyes stared wildly around the room. Never once landing on Sam.

"Dean." Sam pulled himself up slowly making sure not to make any sudden moves. "Dean, please. It _wasn't_ your fault. You were possessed."

Dean bit his lip as his eyes continued to shift around the room. "I hurt you," he said quietly not sure which way to go.

Sam slowly moved around the bed trying to make it closer to his brother. Dean stood in the middle of the room looking like he might take off at the slightest wrong move. "I know. But I'm better now." Sam inched a little closer and Dean glanced warily at him and then looked away again. "And I _know_ that it wasn't you."

Dean finally looked at him and Sam froze at the hurt he saw there.

"It wasn't you. You could never hurt me. You're my big brother," Sam said as he came a little closer reaching out a tentative hand.

Dean looked at him like Sam might hurt him but he stayed his ground. Sam finally moved in to touch Dean's arm and Dean flinched at the light touch.

"Please," Dean whispered almost on the edge of tears.

"It's okay. It's over." Sam wrapped his hand around Dean's arm and came a little closer trying to pull his brother towards him.

Dean moved jerkily against Sam's pull but finally turned towards Sam and locked eyes with his little brother.

"It's over," Sam said steadily trying to make Dean see it.

Finally Dean crumbled and his lip quivered as his emotion boiled over. Sam pulled him into a tight hug and he could feel his brother's tense body shudder with sobs and fear as he buried his head in Sam's chest. Finally, Dean let go and melted into Sam's embrace as he clung to Sam's shirt. They slowly fell to the floor with Dean still buried in his little brother's chest and Sam stroking Dean's hair.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's over. It's okay." Sam continued to comfort his brother as Dean let all of his barriers down and just let everything pour out. They sat like that for they didn't know how long. Sam just rocking Dean slightly and his brother just letting all of his emotions show.

When Bobby walked into the room to find the two brothers sitting on the floor, he didn't know what to say. He just watched the younger comforting the older Winchester, the two boys oblivious to everything around them. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat and then quickly turned and left the room without saying a word. Some things were just better left alone.

_A/N: Okay. So one more chapter left and then I think this story will be done. (sniff) Hope you liked this chapter. A little longer than usual. Just let me know by pushing that little button on the left and leaving me a review. I always love to hear what you have to say. Good or bad. Until next time._


	11. Chapter 11

TRUST

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Same as before. I don't own anything.

A/N: Hey guys. Thank you sooo much for all the great reviews. I love hearing your comments and if I haven't gotten back to you from this last chapter I will. I just started a new job and my new schedule has been kicking my butt. Also, thanks to all of you out there who have stuck with this story through all the REALLY long wait times between updates. You guys rock.

Also, in case you don't remember. Vinny Delfingo is the ghost that had possessed Dean, Virgil Hagen is the guy he was sent to kill, and Anthony Tessio a.k.a. Tony the Knife is the mob boss who sent Vinny to kill Virgil.

Warning: This first little bit might get a touch gruesome. Sorry if it's too graphic.

"Please…Dean. Don't." Sam whimpered as he stared up at Dean from where he was kneeling on the ground.

Dean backhanded him across the face and Sam fell hard to the ground. Dust motes swirling around where he fell groaning in pain.

Sam coughed feebly and then struggled to get back up. Dean stood there watching impassively as Sam failed several times before finally pushing his way back up to his knees where he swayed slightly as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Why?" Dean said roughly as he stood over Sam with an impassive look on his face. He stared down at his little brother with a slight look of disgust on his face. "Why shouldn't I just blow you away right now?" He put the muzzle of his gun against Sam's forehead and he could see Sam close his eyes as he tried not to show how terrified he was.

Sam swallowed hard a few times as he trembled from exhaustion and fear. "Please, Dean, I _know_ this can't be you. It-it can't." He finally opened his eyes and looked up at Dean with pleading eyes. "And if you do this…once this is over? I know you'll regret it." Sam kept his gaze steady making sure that he kept eye contact with Dean. Though his voice was steady, Dean could feel Sam trembling through the pistol pressed to his forehead.

As Sam looked up at him with pleading eyes, Dean just looked at him with cold eyes. Dean's gun dropped to his side as he continued to stare at Sam and Sam couldn't help but relax slightly. Dean just shook his head then. "Nah." He cocked the hammer back. "Not a good enough reason." He then raised the gun and pulled the trigger watching as Sam fell to the ground, his sightless eyes staring up at the sky in shock. Blood trickled from the hole in his head making a red line across his forehead as everything faded slightly.

"No! Sam!" Dean shot up in bed his lungs heaving for air and his shirt wet with sweat.

He frantically looked around the room trying to remember where he was. He felt completely disoriented. Where was Sam? His eyes fell on the other bed and his breath caught when he realized Sam wasn't there. He looked around the room not seeing him anywhere and began to panic. _Was that real? Had he actually shot, Sam?_ His breathing quickened again and he tried desperately to get himself to calm down. "Sam," he almost whispered not wanting to believe what he had seen.

A soft click sounded in the quiet room and Dean quickly turned towards the door, his hand reaching automatically for the knife under his pillow.

"Dean?"

Dean heaved a sigh of relief at hearing his brother's voice. "Sam?" _God I hope he didn't hear how shaky that sounded._

Sam slipped into the room and hurried over to the bed. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here." His knee brushed against Dean's as he sat on the edge of the bed, and Dean found himself trying to lean subtly into the touch. He continued to stare at Sam seeing the worried expression on his little brother's face.

"You okay?" Dean asked knowing that he sounded desperate but he was having trouble shaking off the dream.

Sam shifted a little closer. "Yeah, Dean, I'm okay."

Dean reached out a tentative hand to touch Sam's face and Sam's reached up to grab Dean's hand. Though he would never say it, he was grateful for that gesture. It helped to clear a little bit more of the confusion from his mind and Dean heaved a steadying breath as his brother's touch helped to ground him. Finally feeling a little more in control, Dean pulled away from Sam's touch and his eyes fell to the covers.

Sam's hand dropped back to the bed and he studied Dean's pale and sweaty face for a moment. "Bad dream?"

Dean nodded slightly not yet ready to meet Sam's intense gaze.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam asked.

Dean just sat there for a moment starring at the covers before finally shaking his head. "No. I'm okay."

Dean's voice sounded flat and after everything, Sam could tell that Dean felt exhausted. He knew his brother was feeling a little vulnerable and he didn't want to push too hard. Dean's walls had been completely broken down by the whole experience of the last week and a half; and as Sam watched, even now, he could see his brother trying to reconstruct those walls stone by stone.

Sam sat there silently just watching Dean for a moment more. "You sure?" He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it.

Dean sighed in frustration and ran a hand across his face before finally looking up at Sam. "Yes, Sam. I'm fine." _Yup, there's those famous wall again._

Sam held up his hands in defeat and then just sat there looking at his brother. Dean still looked like hell even though he'd been asleep most of the time since they'd left the motel back in Oklahoma. His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot and still slightly puff, and he just seemed…locked down. Like everything was just too much right now. Sam knew that there was definitely not going to be any chick-flick moments this evening.

As soon as Sam and Bobby had performed a cleansing ritual on The Wandering Coyote Motel to make sure that nothing else could touch it, they had packed up and took off. They'd been lucky that the cops hadn't come with the gunfire and everything earlier. They didn't want to take any more chances.

Dean had slept most of the way leaving Sam to his thoughts as they headed for Bobby's place. As he drove, Sam kept a wary eye on his brother making sure that he was okay. Though he hadn't been hurt, Sam still knew that there could be complications. Such as nightmares. He would catch Dean in the beginnings of a nightmare a few times, but before it got too far Sam was able to soothe him before he woke up.

When they had finally arrived at Bobby's, Sam could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on from stress and exhaustion. He had helped his brother inside to the bedroom they usually stayed in worrying how quiet Dean was. Dean had fallen asleep as soon as he was in his bed and Sam worried slightly that maybe something else might be going on. As he had tucked Dean in he worried what would happen when Dean finally woke up. After what had happened before, he knew that his brother had been through something major, but he didn't know for sure how major.

Bobby had coaxed him out of the room just a little before Dean woke up and now he kicked himself for not being there when Dean woke up.

"What?" Dean asked and Sam realized that he had been starring.

Sam shook his head. "Nothing. Do you want to go back to sleep?" he asked already guessing the answer.

"Not really." Dean said quietly. _God, no, not after seeing you like… "_What time is it?"

Sam looked at his watch. "Uh, just a little after nine. Do you want to come out and get something to eat? Bobby's got some stew going."

Dean looked around finally recognizing where he was. "Yeah, I guess."

Sam nodded and got up. He looked at Dean for a moment more before heading for the door. "I'll go tell Bobby you're awake."

Dean watched Sam go and just sat there for a moment longer. His thoughts felts jumbled between his own and the ghosts and he wasn't sure exactly what was what yet. As he scooted his legs off the bed he tried to sort through them.

Random images flashed before his eyes and he winced in pain at the sight. Sam, Virgil, the other people that Vinny had showed him. He rubbed his forehead as his head began to hurt. Though he knew that it hadn't been him he still felt responsible. He had been foolish enough to get himself possessed. It had been his hands that had hit his brother. That had pulled the trigger on Virgil. That had… He shook his head trying to dispel the thoughts as he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He couldn't dwell on that. Not now. Maybe not ever.

He shakily got to his feet and then trudged towards the kitchen. _Time to face the music. _When he shuffled into the room, Bobby and Sam both looked up from the table and Bobby gave him a small smile.

"Well, look who's up. I thought you were going to sleep all day, boy."

Dean gave a small laugh. "Yeah, almost," he mumbled in response.

Bobby smiled a little more. "You hungry?" He got up and went to the stove. "It's not much, but at least it'll stick to your ribs." He gave a Dean a once over look before turning back to the stove.

"Are you saying I'm too skinny, Bobby?" Dean kidded trying to dispel some of the tension in the room.

Bobby just grinned. "Nah, I hear it's the 'in' thing to be able to see your ribs."

Dean just chuckled slightly before sitting down opposite of Sam. He gave his brother a slight smile before looking away again. "So how long was I out?" he asked Bobby not ready to engage Sam quite yet.

"Since before we left Oklahoma," said Sam a little disappointed that Dean wouldn't even look at him. "You'd wake up once in a while, but not for long. I guess you were pretty tired."

Dean tried a lopsided grin as he glanced at Sam but failed miserably at the attempt. "Yeah, I guess being possessed by a homicidal hit man ghost will take it out of you."

He had said it jokingly, but Sam and Bobby both knew it for what it really was. Defense. As Bobby and Sam exchanged a glance, he set a bowl of stew down in front of Dean and then went to get a cup of coffee and to refill his and Sam's cups.

Dean thanked him and then took a small bite of his food. He wasn't really hungry, but he figured he should probably at least try to look like he was hungry. _Don't want them to worry too much about me._

They sat in silence for a while, nobody really sure what to say.

Finally it was Dean to break the silence. "So…the ghost is gone?" Dean asked hesitantly. He knew that Sam and Bobby had gotten rid of it, but he was still a little hazy on the details.

Bobby nodded. "Yup. Sent him packing. We even did a cleansing ritual to make sure nothing else could come back there after we left."

Dean nodded slightly. "Good." '_Because that's the last place I ever want to go again._' Dean thought to himself as he kind of pushed the stew around in his bowl before taking another bite.

"Still it's kinda sad," Sam said and Dean almost choked on his food.

"_What?_ After everything that bastard put us through? After what he made me… You think it's sad he's gone?" Dean could feel the anger in him build slightly and his jaw clenched.

Sam looked at Dean and then to Bobby. "No. I mean… _Yes_, I'm glad he's gone. I mean after everything. But, it's just…he was trapped reliving the last moments of his life over and over again. All he wanted was for it to end…to be finished. No one deserves that no matter how evil they were," Sam finished quietly.

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything that Vinny had done, killing all those people. The things that he had done to them…to him? And yet, Sam felt _sorry_ for him. Trying to keep himself in check Dean calmly put his spoon down and then got up.

Sam and Bobby both looked at him in confusion. "Wait, where are you going?" asked Sam as he watched Dean move away from the table.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I'm gonna go lie down," Dean said with a deadly calm trying not to explode. Where was all this anger coming from? He had already hurt Sam too much already and right now he felt like he could do it again. He headed for the door and he groaned inwardly when he heard a chair scrape across the floor.

"Dean? Wait," Sam said as he got up.

Dean stopped and turned trying to keep his anger in check as Sam moved to follow him. "Sam, please, just…leave me along right now. Okay?" He was holding his hand out to keep Sam from moving forward any more. He finally dropped it when Sam just stood there looking at him. He then turned and began walking down the hall again.

"But-"

"_No,_ Sam," he said never turning around afraid of what he might do if he turned around and saw those puppy dog eyes. "I can't…I can't talk about this right now. Just…let it go." Without another word Dean walked down the hall and away from Sam.

Sam just stood there in shock. What had he said?

"Give him time," Bobby said. "We've all had a really long day. Maybe he'll be better tomorrow."

Sam stood there for a moment longer looking at his brother retreating into their bedroom. "Yeah, I guess," he said quietly, a frown on his face.

Sam finally turned back towards the kitchen and Bobby could tell that he was worried. Frankly, so was Bobby. He knew how stubborn Dean could be, and that he would probably blame himself for everything that had happened. If anything, that boy tried to take on too much responsibility. And he knew how Dean would deal with that guilt. By shoving it all down inside and pretending like it was nothing until one day it finally came out. He just hoped that it didn't come back to bite them on the ass at the wrong time.

To the casual observer the next few days seemed to go pretty smoothly.

Sam started looking for their next hunt while helping Bobby with some research that had been put off because of recent hunts trying to keep busy in this time off. His injuries were starting to heal nicely, the bruises fading to a sickly mottle of yellow, green, and blue. He was still a little stiff and would wince once in a while when he tried to stretch or accidentally forgot and jarred his ribs.

Dean, on the other hand, seemed to be the picture of health. He helped out in the junkyard fixing cars and giving the Impala a tune up. "There's no telling what that spook did while he was in control. Besides, it's been a while since I've had the time to do a full check," Dean said in explanation, but Sam had noticed that besides the usual Dean had also asked Bobby to order him a new cigarette lighter to replace the one Vinny had used on Sam.

Both brothers kidded and joked with Bobby at supper talking about recent hunts and the possibility of what they might do next. Maybe a hunt back east. And to anyone else, Dean seemed to be back to his old self.

But Bobby knew differently.

He'd known both boys too long to believe their bullshit facades of okay and could see right through Dean's wisecracks and big grins. Something was still bothering the older Winchester, and it didn't seem to be getting any better.

On the third day of tip-toeing around both boys waiting for the possible explosion, Bobby was about to confront them when he heard raised voices from the back of the house.

"Sam, I don't want to talk about it. Okay?" Sam had cornered him in the study where there was no way out except through the one door which Sam was now standing in.

"No, Dean," Sam said staring at his older brother who just rolled his eyes. "You need to talk about this."

"No, Sam, I don't. Besides, there's nothing to talk about." Dean started to try and move past Sam and Sam stopped him with a hand to his chest. Dean sighed heavily and stepped back into the room turning away from Sam. "Sam," he said in warning.

"So there's nothing that's bothering you?" Sam asked with sarcasm.

Dean turned to look at Sam. "_No_, Sam, there's nothing that's been bothering me."

"Oh, really? Then why have you been avoiding me for the last two days?" Sam paused for a moment. "You've hardly said two words to me except when Bobby's around."

Dean just shook his head and started pacing as he mumbled something that Sam couldn't hear.

"You won't even stay in the same _room_ as me if Bobby isn't around. And every night you wake up screaming with nightmares. So don't tell me nothing is wrong."

Dean finally stopped pacing keeping his back to Sam. "Sam, please, just…let it go."

"No, I won't. I'm your brother, Dean. Just…talk to me. Why can't you just talk to me?" Dean didn't say anything and Sam sighed in frustration. "Is it because of what I said the other night?"

Dean finally turned to look at him with a quizzical look on his face. "What? No."

"Then, _what_? Is it because of what Vinny made you do? Because you gotta know it wasn't your fault."

Dean scoffed and turned away from Sam mumbling something under his breath.

Sam blinked once finally understanding a bit. "That's it, isn't it? You think that you're responsible."

Dean whirled around to look at Sam. "Well, aren't I? I mean come on, Sam. If I hadn't been so weak, none of this would have happened," Dean said his anger flaring slightly.

"Dean, it wasn't your fault. Vinny's ghost was too strong. He had been possessing people for over _thirty_ years. There's no way that you could have known what would happen."

"No, Sam. It was my fault. I should have been more prepared." Dean began pacing again as he became more agitated. "I should have made sure that the wards were set up before going to sleep. I _should_ have been able to fight off that Casper wanna-be." Dean finally stopped pacing still not looking up at Sam. "I could have stopped him from taking over," Dean said defeat evident in his voice. "It's my job to protect you and I failed."

Sam just stood there with his mouth open. "Dean…you couldn't have known. And I know that you would have fought against the possession, but you were exhausted." Dean glanced up at Sam slightly before looking away again. "We were both running on fumes by that time. We got careless." Sam could tell he was getting through to Dean a little and he decided to hammer it home. "Besides, if you want to blame someone for this then blame me."

Dean's gaze snapped up to stare at Sam. "You? Why?"

Sam swallowed slightly and looked away. "Because I didn't set up the wards before going to sleep. I even thought about it, but I just decided to blow them off. I mean, what's one night right?" Sam chuckled sadly at that thought before finally looking back to Dean with glistening eyes. "So if anyone's to blame for this then it's me."

"No, Sam. This isn't your fault," Dean said taking a step towards Sam.

"Then why is it yours?" Sam asked pinning Dean with a hard gaze.

Dean stopped and just stared at Sam not sure what to say.

"Dean, it's not your fault that this happened. It was just…some fucked up thing that we just happened to fall in to." Sam gave a sharp bark of laughter and Dean winced slightly at the sound. "I guess it's just the Winchester bad luck rearing its ugly head again." He shook his head looking away from his brother.

Dean just stood there looking at Sam. "Yeah, I guess," he mumbled looking down at his shoes. "But it's still not your fault." He then looked up to meet Sam's gaze both understanding that neither of them was ever going to really let the blame go.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Sam ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "You okay? And no bullshit."

Dean gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess. I mean…I still remember what he made me do. What he showed me?" Dean swallowed hard as he looked away and then closed his eyes. "I know…I wasn't in control, but…I still hurt you, Sam." He glanced at Sam sideways and Sam just nodded slightly. "But you got to know. I would _never_ hurt you. You know that right?" Dean looked straight at Sam making sure that his little brother knew that that statement was the truth. _I'd rather die than hurt you on purpose._

Sam swallowed against the emotions flowing through and tried to hold them at bay. "Yeah, I know," he said softly. "You're my big brother. It's your job to protect me right?" he gave a small smile at that.

Dean just smiled slightly and looked down. "Yeah. That's right." He then chuckled slightly and shook his head. "God, Sam, why do you always have to turn something into a click flick moment."

Both brothers laughed at that and then were quiet as they shifted uncomfortably.

"So…are we good?" asked Dean.

Sam just nodded as he gave a lopsided grin. "Yeah, we're good."

Dean nodded. "Good. Now can I get out of here or do I need to wrestle your freakishly large ass out of the way?"

Sam just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Like you could." He stepped to the side to let Dean passed.

Dean smirked. "Oh, I could. Or don't you remember all those times as a kid starring up at me from the floor when we were sparring?" Dean slid past Sam and headed towards the front door.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

Sam just watched Dean go feeling a little lighter now that Dean was back to his old self again.

"So, are you two done? Or should I break out the tissues?"

Sam turned to see Bobby standing in the doorway to the living room with a small smile on his face. "Oh, hey, Bobby." His eyebrows then scrunched together in confusion. "How much of that did you hear?"

Bobby's smile just grew a little more. "Enough. It's a good thing too. If you two idgits didn't work it out soon, I was gonna have to kick both your butts." He then walked away and Sam just laughed as he shook his head.

Another couple of days passed before the boys were ready to get back on the road. After loading their stuff into the Impala, they turned back to look at Bobby. Bobby was standing on his front porch with his hands in his pockets and a small smile on his face.

"What?" asked Dean as he walked back towards the house followed closely by Sam.

Bobby just shook his head. "Nothing," He gave another slight grin and then stepped down off the porch. "Boys, you take care of yourselves."

Dean just nodded before looking back at Sam. He then headed back towards the car.

Sam then sighed and stepped a little closer to Bobby. "Bobby thanks, for everything." He held out a hand to shake and Bobby took it before pulling him in for a hug.

"You take care of that brother of yours," he said just loud enough for Sam to hear.

Sam just nodded before pulling away. He gave Bobby a slight smile and then headed back to the car.

"What was that about?" asked Dean as Sam rounded the car to the passenger side.

"Nothing," said Sam and waved goodbye to Bobby before getting into the car.

Dean got in and sat there for a moment. "So where do you want to go?"

Sam's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Uh, I don't know. There's a possible poltergeist in Boston, or we could go to Seattle. Might be a possible wendigo sighting there."

Dean just looked at Sam for a moment before finally turning back to the front. "I thought maybe we'd go to Florida." He started the car and it sprang to life with a throaty growly.

Sam frowned even more. "Florida, what's there?"

Dean just shrugged as he started to pull out of the junk yard. "Nothing that I know of, I just thought maybe…we'd take some time off." He then turned to look at Sam.

Sam just looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Oh, come on, Sam. It's not that strange. Besides…I promised we'd take some time off after the next hunt and I never break a promise."

Sam turned back to the windshield and blinked several times before turning back to Dean. "You're sure. You want to take some time off?"

"Well…yeah. Besides, I think we've earned it. Don't you?" He glanced over at Sam.

Sam just gave a sudden laugh. "Yeah, I guess." He was quiet for a moment before a smile crept across his face. "Okay, let's go to Florida."

Dean just nodded and pulled out onto the highway. "Good. Now there's just one more thing."

Sam turned back to him in curiosity. "What's that?"

"Next time we stay at a motel? Let's make sure it's 'ghost light'."

A/N: Well, there it is. The last chapter. (Sniff) I can't believe it's done. But don't worry. I've got lots more stories waiting in the wings. Not to mention my other two that I'm currently working on. So, be looking for more updates on those.

Also, I would like to get your opinion on what story I should start next. I have several ideas for stories and will be posting their summaries on my bio page. So go to my bio page and check them out and then drop me a line and tell me which one you would like me to do next.

Oh, by the way, don't forget to go and push the little button to review. I love getting reviews. They make me feel all giddy inside. (blush) Okay, maybe that's a bad thing to get so excited about that, but I do.


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